Blurred Sound
by Natarii-loves-Chocolate-milk
Summary: Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure suFemNaru. Onesided SasuSaku, DeiSaku. AU/AT. Dark Naruto. Now in Part II .
1. Part I: I Will Run To You

**BLURRED SOUND**

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Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

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**CHAPTER ONE  
- - I WILL RUN TO YOU - -**

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_**'As we grow older together, as we continue to change with age, there is one thing that will never change. . .  
I will always keep falling in love with you.' - Karen Clodfelder**_

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_Sasuke kicked his legs over the edge of the pier, staring down into the water of the lake; the quiet was one of the worst things. Ever since his brother had... Ever since the massacre, there was a thick, heavy silence all over the compound. It was barley two months since that awful night, but it was the silence as much as the memories that gnawed at him._

_He did not like this silence at all. If he had the choice, he would stay at the academy all day and night, just so he could listen to the noise; the meaningless gabble of his classmates, the yells of the teachers, the dull monotony of the lessons, the clang of metal as they practised with their dull-edged kunai in the practice grounds was a symphony compared to this awful quiet._

_There was no such thing as a night class at the academy though – he had heard rumours of that being the case in other villages, but not in Konoha, so he had to endure the silence at night. He had been moved into a flat on the edge of the compound instead of his old home, which was closer to the noises of the village, but that still quietened in the later hours of the night._

_He threw another rock onto the still surface of the lake, shattering the reflection of his own face and the sunset; there was nothing here. That was why the silence was so horrible; noise meant there was life. Even breathing could be heard, even in an explosion there was the screams of the injured, or the glee of the explosion's puppeteer. There was always noise somewhere._

_There was no noise in the Uchiha compound any more; watching as the reflection returned to the still glassy image, he noticed something that had not been there before._

_There was a girl on the hill behind him, one that he recognised immediately from her short, blonde bunches tied either side of her neck, red-swirl marked black shirt, orange skirt and mesh leggings poking around her calves from her sandals; Naruto Uzumaki. _

_He didn't keep rack of the names of the girls in his class, but she was notorious for being one of the slackers, loud-mouthed, constantly causing pranks, being __friends with the girl with the huge forehead, __s__kipping class, being on bad terms with almost all of the teachers, and still managing to scrape a decent pass._

_If she put as much effort into her class work as she did into trouble she could be top kunoichi, or even be a decent rival for rookie of the year in his opinion, but she didn't seem to care one way or the other. He hadn't seen her outside of school before, so for want of something to distract him, he turned his head to glance over his shoulder at her._

_She was just walking on the path, kicking a stone with her feet in boredom, and then she seemed to feel his eyes on her. looking up from the path, she stared down the hill towards him, before abandoning the stone and trotting down the hill, feet rustling through the ling grass before her black sandals clopped onto the wooden boards of the dock._

_Wherever she went Naruto made noise, and she thudded down beside him on the end of the dock, curiosity written all over her face._

"_What are you doing all the way over here at this time of night?" she asked.  
"I'm throwing rocks, and I live here. You're the one in a weird place" he retorted, throwing another rock._

_She stared at his piled of rocks, before picking up one for herself, and skimming it across the surface of the water; the number of jumps was an indicator of just how much accuracy she could have if she put some effort into her lessons, jumping at least seven or eight times before sinking into the water._

"_I guess, but I didn't want to go home yet... I don't like it much." she replied, taking another stone and mulling it over in her hands, considering it, before throwing that one as well; only six jumps that time. Her melancholia had edged into her swing._

"_You should go home; your parents won't like it if you're out late" he muttered, a little enviously._

"_I don't have any – I live by myself. Ji-ji sorts out all my bills and food and stuff though..." she replied, snatching another of his rocks and standing up with it; she stared at a log quite a distance out into the centre of the lake._

"_You think I could hit that log?"_

_He shrugged, contemplating the new information she had just given him; he did not know that she didn't have any parents. She was always yelling or laughing about something in class, from what he remembered, so he had just assumed she was like everyone else. _

_Apparently, he had been wrong; he considered asking how they had died, but he knew how that unpleasant that question was. A few people who didn't know about the massacre had asked him, and it had been awful having to answer them. He was curious though, and he didn't really want the noise of conversation to end yet._

"_How'd they die?" he asked, carefully._

"_I don't know – I never met them. Ji-ji says they were nice, but he won't tell me who they were or what. He won't tell me much about anything actually..." she replied; she was taking careful aim at the log now._

_He tried contemplated it, trying to imagine what life was like without having anyone but this mysterious Ji-ji she kept mentioning; he couldn't really think about it. His parents were gone now, but he did have them for most of his life. He could understand the physical realities a little bit, but the emotions in that were beyond him._

"_Is that why you don't like going home?" he asked, picking up a stone of his own, and standing up beside her to take aim for himself._

"_Some of it is, but... I don't like all the stares, so I wait till everyone goes to sleep" she finished, hurling the rock towards the log; one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen – thonk! It hit the wood and splashed into the water._

"_Stares?" he asked in puzzlement._

_Her face fell into a frown as she bent to pick up another pock, thick, chunky, nothing like the rocks that she had been using to skim the water. She turned her gaze back to the log, raising her hand and taking aim._

"_Most people have this look on their faces... like they hate me for something. I don't like it, so I wait" she explained bluntly, taking aim and hurling the rock through the air; she seemed to use the throw to release a little penned up anger, because the rock fiercely broke through the wood of the hollow log, stirring it in the water._

"_Is it too quiet for you too?"_

_The question jerked him away from the moving log, and after a moments pause he nodded. She picked up another rock, and started skimming again, aiming for other floating tree branches, or grassy floating islands beyond the first target. _

_He didn't know how long it lasted, but when she had left, and he had started walking back home, thing didn't seem as quiet any more. _

_There were a few more meetings between them, brief, unmentioned in the faces of their peers, but if examined closely there was a tiny personal smile on their faces during the three months of private interaction._

_It was only three months, because three months later, Naruto Uzumaki disappeared from Konoha.  
_

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Sasuke was beginning to wonder if he shouldn't give this whole ninja thing up as a bad job as he sat on the roof of the academy with his fabulously skilled new teammates and their 3-hours late Sensei.

"Why don't you go first Kakashi-Sensei? To give us an idea?" Sakura asked in response to the grey-haired man's introduction question.

How in the gods of fire country did this idiot girl get the top kunoichi ranking? It was hardly a hard thing to introduce yourself! God, he wished Naruto was still here – she would have been a decent teammate as opposed to this pink-haired... _thing._

Sai wasn't that bad he guessed, he didn't know how to keep his mouth shut, but at least he was going to pull his weight. He would rather have Naruto on his team if he had a choice in the matter but, unfortunately, he didn't, so he was stuck with pinky.

There was also the small matter of Naruto being _'dead' _to contend with; he didn't believe a word of it when Iruka-Sensei had him that Naruto had been killed when he told them five years ago, and he still didn't believe it.

He had only really known her for three months, but he knew her pretty well; Naruto was one of those people who refused to let themselves die on sheer stubbornness of will. She was like him. She survived. He just wished he knew where she was.

"And what about you broody?" the grey haired man who was supposedly their new teacher asked.

Oh yay, it was his turn to share now? How fun...

"My name is Sasuke Uchiha; I don't like much, but there are some things I don't mind... "He started, his hand slipping into his pocked to grasp one of the rocks he had kept there for the past five years – he always used them.

They weren't as aerodynamic or as immediately wounding as kunai in a heavy fight, but he liked the hold of them; they did do some damage when thrown correctly, and he didn't have to buy them. His accuracy was also constantly improving when he threw them because their odd unregulated shapes.

"My goal is to revive my clan and to kill a certain someone" he finished, privately adding the private note to find Naruto.

He knew she wasn't dead – no way could a collapsed building kill her. She had cut her hand on a rock once when they were throwing them, and they had both stared wide eyed as it healed within a few seconds in front of their eyes.

If memory served him rightly, she had disappeared a few days later. Now that he was old enough to analyse things, he'd bet his entire tomato drawer in the fridge that the weird healing was part of the reason she had disappeared.

He didn't care if people told him if he was grasping at straws – people muttered the same thing about Hitachi behind his back, but he would succeed in killing him too. He knew that Naruto wasn't dead.

Sakura made some sort of strange irritating noise, and Sai made some sort of weird comment. Sasuke ignored them both – despite the noise of Sakura's angry retort to him, things were still as quiet as they had ever been for the past five years.

* * *

Naruto woke up to her dark gloomy room with a start; it had been a long while since she had that dream. Maybe it was a sign?

Orochimaru had always said to listen to her gut about things like that, just in case they had a purpose, but all that she felt now was sleepy. And achy; she glanced at the snoring white haired boy beside her and frowned. Damn Kimimaro, he didn't have to be so rough. Stupid bony Kaguya git.

If he wasn't already dying, she'd have kicked him in the nuts. Damn it, why couldn't he have been Gaara? Gaara would have been so much nicer... Then again, the guy was dying, and she kind of liked Gaara alive, so maybe not... Kimimaro had better be gone by the afternoon though, or she would hunt him down herself.

Naruto had woken up at her usual time, and needed to start getting dressed, if she didn't want Kabuto to start bitching to old snake face about being late for training again.

She wrapped her bandages over her thighs and chest, pulled one her forearm-length mesh gloves, calf-length mesh leggings, her black sandals, grey and black camouflage skirt, and her high-collared short-sleeve orange zip-up shirt (which she left unzipped).

After tying the stupid headband around her neck, she headed down the halls of Otogakure; she didn't really like medic training, but orders were orders, and Orochimaru kept saying the control she would get from it would be beneficial later on. She didn't like it much, but he did have a point, and it was somewhat useful sometimes.

The Kyuubi made her control horrific, and if she wanted to get the knack of her father's techniques properly, she needed control. It was a good thing she was practising on cadavers instead of the people in the labs though, or Orochimaru might have skinned her for hashing up his experiments.

She had helped as an assistant in a few of them (cue vomit), but she hadn't actually taken part for fear of blowing a capillary that wasn't supposed to be or mixing up her poisons again. They were disgusting, but she justified them with the knowledge that most of the discoveries in the ninja world had been formed thanks to similar experiments, especially the medical ones.

Opening the door to Oto's main autopsy room, she was surprised to see the snake himself standing there; the man was usually sleeping until about ten, what was he doing up this early? Why was he here anyway? He was supposed to be playing Kage in Sunagakure right about now wasn't he?

"Ah, there you are Naruto, Kabuto was just wondering if you were going to be late again"  
"I can't help it Sensei, it always _dark_ down here – you want me up on time, get some damn windows" she bit back – mornings always had her in a testy mood.

"More like Kimimaro kept you up all night..." Kabuto muttered.  
"That's more than you're getting isn't it?" Naruto snapped waspishly – she not in a good mood this morning.  
"You still have your usual morning temperament I see, but that's not what I came here to talk about; I have a job for you." Orochimaru half laughed.

That... was a new one. She didn't get jobs, well she did, but the ones he had planned for her she wasn't skilled enough for yet. She needed more control on her chakra, more training with the Kyuubi's chakra for those. She did odd jobs from time to time, but only little things.

From the looks of it, this wasn't a little thing; his mild sadist amusement wasn't as obvious in his voice, and that meant he was being deadly serious. Or as serious as a crazy s-class renegade with a snake fetish could get. Naruto stared at him in blank confusion until he noted he had her attention and continued.

"You know that the Chunin exams are going to be held in Konoha this time don't you?" he asked, getting right to the point.

Naruto nodded – everyone in Otogakure knew. They were going to be attacking the damn place in the middle of them, so it was sort of hard _not_ to know about the Chunin exams.

"Good – I want you to enter; I need someone to bring Sasuke over to our side of the fence, and you'll be the one to do it. He knows you, so it'll be easier to coax him away from Konoha. Sarutobi is suspicious of Suna's activities right now, otherwise I'd do it myself, but the job will be left to you..."

Ah, so that dream _had_ been a sign! Sasuke had been on the man's mind for about half a year now. Ever since he had caught wind that the last Uchiha had become a Genin, he had been drooling at the thought of having a chance at getting the Sharingan.

"You want _me_ to mark him...? But my sealing for that is still a bit shoddy... I can do it, but there's a good chance that you won't get him in time for the next transfer" she replied.

It wasn't a total lie, but Orochimaru was anything but stupid; he knew she had her own motives in joining him. He hadn't made the offer, she had asked to join him, and he knew she had links with Sasuke too. Wasn't he worried about that getting in the way? Why was he giving her the job?

"I do, and I can wait if I have to – it's better if he's older when I transfer anyway. Transferring into young kids is always more complicated for some reason..." he replied, mumbling something incoherent to himself towards the end.

"Fine, but who am I going with? I can hardly enter by myself..."  
"Kabuto is already entering, but you will be entering with Dosu and Zaku" he replied.

Dosu and Zaku? _Dosu and Zaku?_ That was lame! Those idiots were _useless!_ They were barley usable as pawns... Oh! They were going to be the test bait! That made a bit more sense, but still, she wasn't looking forward to working with those idiots.

Dosu was just a bore, and Zaku was a cocky moron with an irritating attitude. Maybe she could get away with bludgeoning one of them with something while she was in Konoha? It wasn't as if Orochimaru would _mind _loosing one of them...

"I don't care what you do with them Naruto, just make sure at least _one_ of them runs into Sasuke at some point..." the man replied, reading the irritation on her face.

The irritation morphed into utter delight, and Naruto did something she only did when she was truly ecstatic; she hugged the slimy snake fetish.

"Thank you Sensei!" she whooped, clamping onto his waist and whirling around a little, before dropping off and heading over to the cadaver she had been working on the day before.

"Oi, Bug Head! Hurry up and show how to do that neutralisation technique!" she yelled, pulling on a pair of gloves over her mesh ones – she didn't want them getting all soaked up with blood.

"You should let her kill someone more often sir; maybe then she wouldn't be such a nightmare in the morning..." Kabuto grumbled to the man beside him, before heading over to the autopsy table and pulling on some gloves of his own.

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Sasuke watched his two teammates as they conversed with the Suna Genin.

God, those two were so irritating. Well, Sai didn't say much, and when he did, it was usually so stupid that it wasn't worth listening to, but at least he was useful. Sakura was a useless idiot though, kunoichi of the year or not.

Things were starting to get out of hand though, so he pulled one of the ever-present pebbles from his pocked and hurled it at the cat-suited weirdo. There was a few moronic retorts, and some squealing from Sakura (gods of fire, she was going to burst his eardrums), before he became more interested in the sudden appearance from the boy above him.

Talk about no presence – he couldn't even feel the guy's chakra. How had he sneaked up beside him so easily?

"Temari, Kankuro, quit messing around – we have to hand our travel registration in..."  
" But Gaara! We were having _fun!_" the cat suit complained.  
"Shut it Kankuro! Gaara's right, we should get going or Baki-Sensei is going to skin us for being late..."

The red-head appeared between the two of them in a swirl of sand, and Sasuke followed as Sakura decided to start asking why they were in Konoha; he could really care less, but then the girl with the fan mentioned the Chunin exams. His interest roused, he jumped down from the tree branch.

After the inquires about names had been exchanged, the three of them started to walk away; Sasuke was about to do the same, and then the redhead stopped and turned back towards the tree, with an amused smirk on his face.

"If you hadn't wobbled and disturbed your chakra like that you would have had me fooled; get your arse down here," he stated to the seemingly empty tree.

There was a flicker, and the illusion disappeared; standing only inches from where he had been sitting was a girl with an irritated pout on her lips. She barley took a step from the branch before she appeared by the red head with her arms around his neck as if they were old friends being re-united; by the looks of things, they were.

"_Gaara!_ I haven't seen you for months! I was so _bored!_ Sensei's too busy to train, and everyone else runs away from me!" she complained, loudly.

Sasuke stared at her, taking in the orange shirt, camouflage skirt, headband, and blonde hair; she looked familiar. Very familiar, actually... he activated his Sharingan to enhance his eyesight a little bit, and caught sight of the whisker marks on her cheeks long before the red head had whirled her around and he had seen the red swirl on her back.

"_Naruto...!"_ he mumbled, positively shocked that she had appeared in front of him.

It was the general assumption that she had died, but there she was right in front of him wearing a foreign headband and hugging a red-headed foreigner. It really was Naruto. He had never believed she'd just up and died the way they had been told, but to actually see her in front of him? That was a shock...

"Sasuke, that _can't_ be Naruto! She died years ago!" Sakura said, catching the mumble on the ever Sasuke-sharp ears.

Naruto must have heard her, or she had recognised him at first sight, because she said something to Gaara, then turned towards them and the Suna Genin headed off with a grin on her face._**  
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_**Yaaay! First Chapter! Always so happy when the first one goes up. My first attempt at an OtoNaruto ficlet.**_

_**Chapter Title comes from **_**'Run To You'**_** by The Rasmus. All the titles in the upcoming chapters come from songs that both fit the chapter and inspired it. They are highly recommended for anyone interested in hearing them.**_

_**Hope you like – Rate and review if you do!  
**__**Nat.  
xxx**_


	2. Part I: Poker Face

**BLURRED SOUND**

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Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. Onesided SasuSaku, later DeiSaku. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

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**CHAPTER TWO  
- - POKER FACE - -**

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_**'Everything that deceives may be said to enchant' – Plato.**_

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"_You're late!" Sasuke noted irritably as Naruto plodded over the boards of the dock._

_She sat down beside him, her pensive expression unchanging as she kicked her legs back and forth over the edge of the dock, staring into the water below; the lack of her usual babble was the glaring indicator that something was bothering her, and he wondered if the glares had been bad today._

_He had followed her after she had left once, watching the people she passed by, and once he had been looking for them the glares had been so easy to spot! He wondered how he had missed them before..._

"_Bad day" she muttered, angrily grabbing a rock from the pile next to him and hurling it at the water; there was a bag tied underneath the edge now to keep the rocks in, to save trundling back up the path for more._

_She sat there hurling rocks beside him until the pile was nearly exhausted, and then she lumped forward, and let out a frustrated sigh. Something really had to be bugging her for her to be so quiet, but as to what it could be, he was flummoxed. It felt like Itachi all over again... something had been wrong with him for weeks before he-_

"_Sasuke... do you like it here?" she asked, without any sort f warning.  
"I guess so... its home" he replied, a little confused by the question.  
"That's not what I meant... just because it's home doesn't mean we have to like it"_

_She had a point there, and he gave the matter some more serious thought; he decided he did like Konoha. He'd never been out of the village, but the older members of his clan had always talked about the other countries, and he didn't like the sound of living in one of their villages._

"_Konoha's okay... why?"_

_Naruto didn't seem to hear his answer or the question; she continued to stare at the water, expression more relaxed, but still not her usual grin. What was wrong with her today? She was acting so odd... _

_He wished he knew more about her in general, but he didn't, and he wasn't certain he could ask her; she hadn't even been in the academy when he entered at the usual entry age. She had been entered halfway through the term into the class of third years. A few weeks after the massacre had taken place actually..._

_She was so confusing..._

"_Would you leave if you got the chance?"_

_He sat up a little straighter at that; this sounded all too familiar for his comfort, even if it was sudden. Naruto loved Konoha, far more than he did, so why was she spouting all this weird talk? Something had shaken her really badly if she was thinking like that..._

"_Not unless I had a good reason to – why are you asking anyway?" he asked in reply._

_She looked up, surprised by the slightly sharper tone in his voice, before giving him a grin that had no business being on her face at that moment, but one that he couldn't bring himself to call her out on..._

"_It was just something someone asked me earlier – I was just curious to what you would say is all" she replied, picking up a rock and holding it out towards him._

_He knew she was changing the subject, but he took the rock and hurled it into the lake anyway. Naruto disappeared a week later._

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"What are you doing here Naruto? I didn't think you were coming until later on," Temari asked as Naruto finished squeezing the living daylights out of Gaara.

"I have some other things to do first, so I'm stuck with Zaku and Dosu for the Chunin exams," she complained and she hugged the older girl.

"Come by and say hello later on, once you've finished up whatever you came here for," Kankuro added, giving her a hug of his own.

Naruto grinned at them and gave Gaara another hug before letting them leave with promises to catch up later; it was good to see them again. Gaara had been a bit nuts when they had first met, but she had pounded some sense into his head (_'If you're nuts, they're not going to give you any missions, and then you wont get to kill anyone you idiot – go get a brain!'_).

Getting him to be nice to Temari and Kankuro had taken some doing, but it had all worked out in the end; it was awkward being in Otogakure half of the time, but she still kept in touch with them. It was always better to see them in person though, even if it was business.

Then she turned to look at Sasuke; he had certainly turned into the looker of the graduating class, and if that rock-throw had been anything to go by, he had some decent kunai throwing skills to boot. Sakura certainly seemed to _squeal _enough... Damn, why did she have to turn into a _fangirl?_ She _hated _fangirls!

Naruto grinned at his stunned face, and darted forwards; her speed surprised him, even if it wasn't even close to what she could get to with her quarter-finished Hiraishin. Much like with Gaara, she had her arms around his neck, but it had another purpose; she needed to put a base seal on his neck.

Much to her surprise, Sakura caught it and her eyes narrowed; she wouldn't have though that Sakura would have noiced that, but she had always good at controling and sensing chakra. A quick glare over Sasuke's shoulder as he returned the hug was enough to make her falter though.

It was actually quite enjoyable to be hugged by Sasuke; He was the one person she could honestly say came close to understanding her in Konoha, but that wasn't going to stop her from doing her job – if Orochimaru wanted to take over Sasuke's body, then she'd jump before he asked how high. He had dug her out of stinky old Konoha after all – she owed him serious boons for that, even she didn't plan on permanent residencey in Otogakure.

Still, it was a nice hug, and completely out of character for him if the shocked looks on the faces of his teammates were anything to go by. Apparently, she'd had a lasting effect on him. That gave her a strange sense of pride and acomplishement for some reason.

"What happened to you?" he asked, getting straight to the point as she let go of him.

"I left – I didn't like it here, so I left. Ji-ji wouldn't have liked that though, so I didn't bother to tell anyone" she replied.

She deliberately hugged him again, enjoying the confusion on sakura's face. Her forehead was as huge as ever, but she seemed to have gained some self-confidence. Really pretty now too – that was good. She had worried about her a little bit. Not much, but they had been best friends once...

Sai still looked boring, but he looked a bit sharper than Sakura did, but he wasnt exactly a real genin was he? She'd have to be careful around him; she released Sasuke once again and grinned.

"Actually, you couldn't keep this between us for the time being could you? I wanna surprise the old man myself!" she asked, placing her hands in front of her nose in a pleading gesture. Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but nodded all the same.

"I take it you're entering the Chunin exams? Where's your team?" he asked.  
"They're a pair of _idiots_, so I ditched 'em back at the hotel" she spat – frowning at the mention of her extremely irritating so-called teammates.

Oh sure, they listened to her when she started loading on the killer intent and flashing the Kyuubi eyes at them, but they were still _annoying!_ The journey had been a nightmare, and she could only thank the gods she might be able to get rid of one of them for _good_ in the next few days.

"My sympathies; I think I know what that's like..." he muttered in reply, sending an irritated glance at his oblivious teammates. Naruto chuckled, but she could see Kabuto on one of the rooftops in the distance – she'd recognise that buggy, dead-body stench anywhere.

"Well, it was good to see you again, but I have to go find my Sensei – he owes me training for lumping me with a pair of idiots, and I _hate_ uncollected debts" she finished.

"You just got here and you're disappearing _again?_" he grunted; was that an actual complaint she saw?  
"I'm not here to slack off Sasuke, but if you're so insistent, I might say hello later on" Naruto grinned at him, leaning forward.

She reached up on her toes, hands clasped behind her back and pecked him on the cheek before disappearing onto one of the nearby roofs.

* * *

Sasuke stared at Naruto as she seemed to disappear over a single rooftop with a single blink of his eyes.

Even though his Sharingan was on, he couldn't keep up with her; he supposed half of that was because it wasn't fully mature yet, but he should still be able to see something.

"I can't believe it! Is that really Naruto? But she... Why is she an Otogakure genin...?" Sakura asked, seemingly to herself though the question was out loud.

Sasuke remained oblivious to her, watching Naruto disappear into the distant rooftops; she was obviously up to something. Her chakra control was better, but not good enough for its use to go completely undetected. She was up to something; that much was obvious, he just didn't know what.

It would help if he knew what her chakra had been used for, but he couldn't pick up that – when he said it had improved, it had _improved._ Naruto had been incapable of illusions in the academy, but she had been standing next to him the whole time he had been in that tree without his notice.

It probably would have stayed that way if she hadn't wobbled and lost control of her chakra enough for that redhead to notice her presence. He wondered if he could get her to share some of her training methods... She had made a huge jump in the past five years, and something told him he hadn't seen the _half_ of it yet.

"Sasuke, did you know her? You seemed sort of glad to see her..." Sai asked, jerking him from his musings.

"Sort of... she skipped stones at the lake near my old house in the compound for a few months before she disappeared, so I joined in a few times..." he replied vaguely; he was aware of Sakura biting her lip a little as he finished.

Before they could ask any more questions, he turned away from them and headed back towards his flat; why did Naruto disappear? The dead theory was completely out of the window, and while she said she didn't like it in Konoha, there was bound to be more to it than just that.

He couldn't wait for the Chunin exams to start; Kakashi had already told them he would be nominating them for them, and by the looks of things, Naruto was going to be a good opponent as well as a way to pass the time.

Once out of sight of his teammates, he raised a couple of fingers to briefly touch the spot where her lips had made contact with his cheek. She was certainly more adventurous than the other girls in Konoha were... Yes, the Chunin exams were certainly going to be interesting.

* * *

"You seem to be having fun with this... old memories digging up old flames? Kabuto asked as Naruto landed on the rooftop in front of him.

"I like to have fun when I'm working – what do _you_ want?" she asked.

Kabuto was very irritating when he was trying to drill medical techniques into her head, but he did have a decent sense of humor when she caught him outside of work like this, twisted usually, but still a good one.

"Sarutobi has found out you're here; he's asking to see the foreign teams individually so he can get a glance at you for himself..." Kabuto cautioned, tone dimming to serious.

Naruto squashed the growl in the back of her throat with only a little success; that nosy old bugger. What was he doing, nosing around at a time like this? He should keep his nose where it belonged – nice and oblivious.

"How the heck did he find out I was here? I made sure there weren't any ANBU about before I said hello to Sasuke, and it hasn't been long enough for anyone to notice that I'm here!" she cursed, tugging on her blonde bunches in frustration.

"Naruto, you did come in through the main gate; we knew he was going to find out, I'm just telling you he knows so you have your excuses all ready. Remember to act suitably _pleased_ to see the old codger" Kabuto chuckled.

Naruto stopped to think about it, then glared at him for being right.  
"Don't _tell_ me how to do my job Kabuto! I know how to fool that _stupid _old man!" she retorted.  
"You didn't do a very good job with Sasuke – in fact, you were very _obvious _with him," he countered.

"That was _necessary _– Sasuke isn't going to be any use if he isn't_ interested _in the curse mark when I pass it on! I have to give him a show of strength _now _so that the curse mark appeals to him_ later_! I know how his head works, so stop worrying..." she replied, getting a little exasperated by all the worry.

"And his teammates? They saw your little display too, and you know that little ROOT _brat_ is just going to report straight back to Danzou" Kabuto persisted – he liked annoying her like this when he knew perfectly well what she was doing.

"The more people who worry, the less chance anything will be done as long as I keep it minor – diffusion of responsibility and all that. Besides, if they draw his attention to it, he'll have to think about it, and that will make the whole thing so much easier..." she explained, feeling like she was stating the obvious.

"And that little peck on the cheek? What about poor Kimimaro?" he grinned.

Naruto didn't like that grin - Kabuto had some suspicons about her sleeping habits regardng Kimimaro, and they were far from being unfounded. She snorted in apperent exasperation for the sake of appearences though.

"The guy didn't want to die a virgin, and I felt _sorry_ for him – nothing else to it and you know it. As for Sasuke... Just because I'm doing a job doesn't mean I can't have a little _fun_ while I'm doing it," she replied.

Kabuto began to snort with laughter.  
"You really are a regular riot sometimes – I await tomorrow's exam with bated breath...," he informed her, before flickering away.

* * *

Naruto had a smile stretched across her face as she stood under the incredulous gaze of the Third Hokage, but inside her blood was beginning to twitch in her veins.

She did _not_ like being in front of this man at all. It was a pity she couldn't stretch her talons and claw out his throat right now, but that wasn't how it was going to work out.

So she had a smile stretched across her face for his benefit (or undoing, as the case would hopefully be), with both of her horrible teammates (indifferent looks on their faces) on either side of her.

"I can't believe it's really _you_; I didn't believe Kotetsu when he told me he had seen you – what _happened_ to you Naruto?"

Naruto pretended to fidget uncomfortably at the question, but it was really more of an attempt to bring down her killer instincts; that was the _problem_ with the control over the Kyuubi's chakra. The more control she had over it, the more she was likely to take on a few of its aspects. Like the urge to _kill_ something.

That was a very strong one, and it certainly didn't help that the man in front of her was on her blacklist already; somehow though, she managed to force herself into hugging him and babbling out her excuses.

She said something about waking up and wandering around after getting out of the pile of rubble, and being very confused for a while, before wandering out into the country, and being found by the Otogakure ninjas.

"I got my memory back eventually but... people don't _hate_ me there Ji-ji, they don't give me _nasty looks_ or bump into me by _'accident'_ there. I really like it..." she mumbled.

Of course, the reason people didn't hate her was because they were too _terrified_ of Orochimaru's baby favourite to think about it; the Kyuubi had made her a bit... _short tempered _once she had gained some control over it. She had a tendency to throw kunai at people who stared at her. Like that ANBU trying to hide in the corner.

It was taking all her energy not to pull out a shuriken and hurl it at his skull right now, but she kept her face buried in the old man's stomach, mumbling to him in that sad little girl voice, her voice cracking a little as she came to the possibility of leaving her new favourite village.

"It's alright Naruto; I'm not going to force you to come back if you don't want to – just send a messenger bird instead of letting us think you died" he replied, returning her unknowingly reluctant embrace.

Bullcrap - utter bullcrap; he was jsut saying that toput her at ease for now. He was probably already thinking up a plot to invade Otogakure and re-capture her once the Chunin exams were over. He had to avoid the political red-tape after all. If he tried to catch her in the middle of such a big international and political event, Konoha's public image would suffer...

Damn it, she could feel her claws stretching out already – she needed to get out before her cover was blown; Sarutobi didn't know his old student was leading Otogakure yet, and he wasn't going to until the final exams if she had any say in the matter (which she most definitely did).

"I have to go Ji-ji; Sensei said he booked us a training ground for the afternoon, and he'll go _nuts_ if we're late, but I'll come say hi again okay?" she said, looking up at him with big eyes; she dug her nails into her palms so he didn't feel the start of her claws. She had ten minuets tops before her eyes started changing...

"Alright, alright, your a hard worker as ever; go get to your training, and good luck in the exams – I'll look forward to seeing how well you do" the old man smiled.

Naruto grinned at him.

"I think you'll be surprised by just how much I can do Ji-ji!" she grinned, before tugging on the arms of her teammates and leaving the office; a cold smirk grew on her face as she left the building completely.

* * *

The next day found Sasuke traipsing through the halls of the academy with his two teammates; there was a brief encounter with that green kid, but other than that, he made it to the exam hall without incident.

Entering the hall, Ino (who was only slightly worse than Sakura, even if she was more useful as a ninja) immediately accosted him, before the other Genin from his year group began to show up; god, why couldn't he have had Hinata on his team? Kiba was lucky to have such a meek and useful Kunoichi for a teammate.

The Konoha teams were not of interest to him though; he was much more interested in the Otogakure team – or more specifically Naruto. He couldn't see her amongst the crowd, but the excited chatter amongst the Genin from his class was all the information he needed to know she was here.

"Has anyone seen her here?" Choji asked, pulling a few crisps from their packet and chomping on them.

"I _did! _I saw her out by the water fountains with her team before entering! She's pretty hot now... I mean she was a cute _kid_, but she has actual _boobs_ now! Kinda small though..." Kiba replied, sounding very much like the dogs his family trained to Sasuke's ears.

"We saw her too, yesterday afternoon after we ran into one of the sand kids; she kissed Sasuke on the cheek."

Seven sets of eyes turned towards him in stunned amazement, and Sasuke glared at Sai for his inopportune moment to attempt socialising like a normal human being.

"What? _No!_ Why would she do that? Naruto didn't even _look_ at him in the academy!" Ino wailed, tightening her grip around his neck possessively, and almost cutting off his air supply in the process.

"I too find that hard to believe" Shino agreed quietly.

"It's true; I asked him after she left and he said they were friends or something before she disappeared – he _hugged_ her so I guess he was telling the truth" Sai continued.

Sasuke hadn't desired to be like his bastard of a brother for a long time, but that moment certainly drew him close, just so he'd be able to stick the git in a three-day illusion of torture and dismemberment for spouting his mouth off like he was...

"_No! _You have to be _lying!_" Ino yelped again, suffocating him some more; wasn't there a dignified way to throw her off him?  
"I saw it too Ino..." Sakura added, seemingly less chiper than her usual self.

Sasuke knew that Naruto had been her best friend at one point, so he sort of understod her wane in energy, but that gave her no right to add to the disscussion about who he did or didnt know, and he glared at her all the same.

"_What?_ You're actually _serious?_ But that's-"

Ino let out a yelp of fright as a head of blonde hair appeared in front of both of their faces, making a roaring gesture that might have been used to scare small children; the fright was enough for her to jump back, releasing his airway from her strangle hold.

Kiba, Sakura, and her own team-mates erupted into gales of laughter as she landed on the floor; Naruto herself had a gleeful cackle from her lips as she jumped down from the ceiling she had been hanging from, flipping in mid air to land on the ground feet-first with a smirk on her face.

* * *

_**Chapter Two; I'm trying to keep this fast-paced instead of my usual slow two-year update schedule style. I'm doing this by limiting the total number of pages I type on open office, and using the smallest legible font I can to keep the details in. it sort of working, but 6 pages max is torturous, even on the font size I'm using.**_

_**I'm used to 11 pages of 9pt DejaVu Sans Condensed, and that usually racks up to about 35-40 KB, give or take; this is 6 pages of 10pt Calibri that racks up to 29 KB maximum! It feels unnatural to write like this! I refuse to break this rule though, so I will persevere!**_

_**I want to get into the habit of getting the detail I want into shorter chapters, and maybe then the one-shots I keep coming up with will stay as oneshots. I have about two or three that started as oneshots, that turned into chapter stories that I havent put up yet, and will not until they are finished (and I really mean that this time).**_

_**I wish I could write oneshots... Anyone got any tips?**_

_**Sakura is going to show up in this, and while it will seem like bashing her, I'm going to say right now that I **_**like **_**sakura, and she will have gone through some serious character development by the end ofthis story. If you don't like sakura at all, then keep it to yourself. I respet the fact that **_**you**_** don't like her, but **_**I**_** do, so no flames complaining about her.**_

_**Title is **_**'Poker Face'**_**by Lady Gaga.  
**__**Hope you liked the chapter!  
Nat.  
xxx**_


	3. Part I: Trouble Is A Friend

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. Onesided SasuSaku, later DeiSaku. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER THREE  
- - TROUBLE IS A FRIEND - -**

* * *

_**'**__**The folly of all follies is to be lovesick for a shadow' – Lord Alfred Tennyson.**_

* * *

Ino let out a yelp of fright as a head of blonde hair appeared in front of both of their faces, making a roaring gesture that might have been used to scare small children; the fright was enough for her to jump back, releasing his airway from her strangle hold.

Kiba, Sakura,and her own team-mates erupted into gales of laughter as she landed on the floor; Naruto herself had a gleeful cackle from her lips as she jumped down from the ceiling she had been hanging from, flipping in mid air to land on the ground feet-first with a smirk on her face.

"What the hell was that for Naruto?" she demanded loudly.

"Well, for one thing I thought it would be fun, and for another, you were turning Sasuke blue in the face – you can't really stalk someone when they're dead, so I figured I'd do you a favour" she replied.

Ino was about to retort loudly when they were interrupted by some glasses-wearing know-it-all; he didn't seem very interesting until he pulled out the stats cards. Then he really began to arouse Sasuke's interest.

"Any requests?" he asked, holding up the pack of cards.  
"Naruto Uzumaki and Gaara" he supplied instantly.

There was some less interesting information on the sand boy, and then he flicked through to Naruto; she was still handing from the ceiling with an amused look on her face as he began to read out the card.

"Naruto Uzumaki; originally from Konoha, but now an Otogakure Genin; not much know about her apart from an immunity to illusions, Chunin certified medical skills, and... You can use Tsunade's strength techniques?" he looked up at Naruto in surprise; a few of the other bookworms also looked a little surprised by the news.

"It's not that hard really; I'll admit, it took me a while to get the timing down and to stop my chakra from blowing the skin off my knuckles, but its not an exceedingly complicated technique to figure out if you really _try_. I don't like it though – too boring. It's all one big bang – I prefer my techniques to have a little more _pizazz_" she replied nonchalantly.

Sasuke wasn't interested in that part so much as the medical and the illusions; apparently Sakura was too because she asked the questions for him with a suspicious frown on her face that had nothing to do with Ino's indignation – Sakura had been very uneasy during the conversation with Naruto yesterday for some reason, and it didn't seem to have passed.

"Why are you a Genin if you have a Chunin medic level? And how can you be immune to illusions?" she asked bluntly.  
"Medical levels operate outside regular ninja ones, and I'm immune to illusions cuz I'm special" she replied sticking he tongue out at her old friend.

Sakura glowered at her, and was about to ask another question when the door opened and the head of the torture unit entered the room.

Sasuke watched Naruto for the entirety of the exam once he had finished his own copying, and he didn't see her do anything but draw in the top corner of her sheet of paper; about ten minuets before the end of the exam, the tiny drawing glowed, and the answers began to appear in the boxes.

That added sealing techniques to the small list of talents that Naruto had acquired in her five year absence from Konoha; she had been good at those in the academy though, so it didn't really surprise him that she was using them to cheat her way through the exam.

After the interrogator guy had revealed the true nature of the test, and had told them where to meet their second examiner the next day, he hurried through the crowd of people towards her and her team-mates.

She really didn't seem to get along with them if the deathly glare she was sending them was anything to go by, in fact, they seemed to be a little... frightened of her. It was an odd thing to picture, but that was what he saw.

She caught sight of him and grinned, abandoning her team-mates to their own devices as she jogged through the crowds towards him; he didn't know why she was here, or what she was up to, or what had happened to her, but he was going to try his damned hardest t to find out.

* * *

"So? When are you going to start interrogating me?" Naruto asked as she slid into the stool in front of the ramen bar.  
"Couldn't you at least _pretend_ to be concerned?" Sasuke asked, a little irritably as he took his own seat.

Naruto snorted as they waited to be served.  
"Why would I do that when I have no reason to be?" she asked.

Teuchi caught sight of her, and he noted that the grin on her face that she had plastered on it for the whole of the day seemed genuine with him and Ayame; he didn't understand that at all, but he guessed it was important.

"That for one thing; why don't you smile like that at everyone if you're happy to see them?" he asked once they had given their orders.

Instead of looking alarmed that her ruse had been discovered, she actually seemed pleased, and mumbled something about that being for her to know and for him to find out – if he was persistent enough.

After consuming the ramen, and mourning the loss of his wallet after stupidly insisting on paying oft her share, they set off in an incoherent direction – it turned out to be towards the lake. Sitting down on the edge of the dock, he fumbled in his pocket for a few rocks.

"You really know how to impress a girl don't you? Ramen and rock-throwing... What a bloody _charmer_. I bet Sakura and Ino would _cry_ themselves to death if they could see you now" she joked, taking the offered rocks as she seated herself down beside him.

To his great surprise, she started taking aim at a passing pigeon, before quickly changing her aim back towards that log she had always started with when they were younger. He had been expecting a difference, but aiming at a _pigeon? _That was very different. He had already got the impression that Otogakure was bit harsher than Konoha, but a pigeon? What did the poor pigeon do to her?

"Why did you _leave_ like that? There's no way in hell that building story was real..." he asked, taking aim at his own target – one of the floating islands of bulrushes.

Naruto glanced at him from the corner of her eye, before hurling her rock at the log; it splintered severely from the impact, a heck of a lot more than it had before. Then he remembered that she wasn't seven any more, and had more strength.

"I found out something... I didn't like it, so I left. That my apartment building collapsed the same night was just a lucky coincidence" she replied, choosing another rock and taking aim again.

More like she had faked her own death; Sasuke kept that opinion to himself though.

"Something... about the stares? Or that weird healing thing?" he asked, throwing his own rock – the splashed seemed much louder than it usually did now that Naruto was making splashes of her own – he didn't believe the building story at all, but he kept his mouth shut on it.

"Both" was the short blunt reply.

She continued to let loose a slow steady hail of stones on the water, and he took the time to get a decent look at her; she hadn't changed much – her bunches were longer, but they were still short and tied either side of her neck, and her fringe was a little longer. Her eyes were the same... but there was something different there too, but he couldn't say what it was.

One of the birds started chirruping nearby, and he watched as her fingers seem to itch even around the pebble in her hand, her eyebrows furrowing with irritation as she glanced in what could have been the direction of the sound – it was too distant for him to make out. For a moment he could have sworn he saw her eyes turned a malicious red, but a blink told him it was a trick of the light.

"What are you doing here Naruto?" he asked finally giving up on being covert.

There was too much he didn't know about her now to even try that. He couldn't say he knew her very well she had even been in Konoha – he had only taken an interest in her for three months, and then she had popped off the face of the earth. He knew she liked ramen, and that the villagers didn't like her, but that was about it.

The only thing he was certain of now was that Naruto was hiding something; he had seen the smiles she had been parading around all day once before, and that had been the night he had last seen her. He had ignored it then, like he had tried to ignore Itachi when he had started acting strange, but he wasn't going to make that mistake a third time.

"I'm just doing my job is all" she replied, dropping the grin for a plain old smile.

It wasn't a lie, but it wasn't the whole truth either; he logged the information away, but he was concentrating on the picture that had just been branded into the grey matter of his brain. He'd seen people smile before, but that one, without any guards up, just pure and simple honesty in spite of obvious deception, was one the best things he had seen.

He didn't notice how close they had been to each other until she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his own; he wouldn't have initiated it himself, but now that he was in the experience, he was sort of enjoying it. He raised his hands tentatively, one lightly grasping her side, the other going to the back of her neck as he pressed his lips against hers in response.

Her tongue flicked over his lower lip, catching him off guard, and giving her a chance to probe it into his mouth, skimming his own tentatively, carefully; it was almost like she didn't want to scare him off, and was holding something back – his eyes were closed so he couldn't see her hands, but he could tell that they were clenched into his shirt pretty tightly from the pull of the fabric on his skin.

Taking a bit of initiative, he sent his tongue probing out into her own mouth, his grasp at the back of her neck tightening and puling her towards him with the hand on her waist; he really was enjoying it. He pushed his tongue forwards against hers, utterly lost in the whole thing until something sharp dug against his tongue.

The only thing it could have been was a tooth, but he actually tasted a little blood in his mouth; he didn't get a chance to confirm, because Naruto broke off the kiss, her eyes narrowing as she whirled around to stare up towards a copse of trees near the path.

"I have to go – I have to meet my Sensei back at the hotel" she said quickly, before jumping to her feet and disappearing up the hill before he could get a word in edgeways.

After a few moments of perplexing silence, he got to his feet and started the slow walk back to his apartment, contemplating the enigma that had just barrelled back into his life.

* * *

Naruto watched Orochimaru's old student as she lapped up blood from Sai's cheek after a smart-mouthed comment; the poor boy had no social sills at the best of times, but with a nut like Anko, he had absolutely no chance.

Sakura kept casting her a suspicious gaze until Sasuke finally got tired of her jumpy movements and snapped at her a little; it was an amusing sight, but she would have to take care around Sakura. The girl was definitely as sharp as her broad forehead indicated; she had even gone so far as to spy on them the day before.

She had almost had an opportunity to give Sasuke the cursed seal then too, and he wouldn't have noticed at all; that wasn't to say she hadn't enjoyed the moment herself, but she did have a job to do, past connections with Sasuke resurfacing already or not. For now, it was essential that she played Orochimaru's games, and that meant giving Sasuke the cursed seal.

"You two keep the plan in your head will you? I don't want to have to deal with Sensei's bitchy fits because you let something stupid like your egos get in the way of the job" she growled at her two team-mates.

They were waiting by their gate now, waiting for it to be opened by the proctor a few meters away; Naruto glanced back at the scroll shed and watched team 7 as they emerged from it. It would be good to know who had the scroll for later on, but there was no way to be sure; the obvious thing to do would be give it to the weak link, but that was too predictable, and Sasuke probably wouldn't trust Sakura not to loose it...

"We get it – just follow orders right?" Zaku snapped back

There was a clang as the gates opened, and the thoughts were torn from her mind with the more pressing matter of finding a scroll to go with their own; they needed to get through this exam just in case she didn't get an opportunity to mark Sasuke, and easy as it would be, it was going to take some time to get it out of the way.

Searching as a team would take too long though, and there would be the inevitable arguments; if she searched by herself she was much more likely to be successful, and she would probably be able to take Sai out of the equation for a while. Kid or not, he was still part of ROOT, and would be fully capable of taking on Zaku and Dosu.

It was without a great deal of reluctance that she explained the slight change in their plans and the sound Genin parted ways; satisfied things would work in her favour, Naruto darted out into the trees in search of prey.

* * *

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked as Sakura picked herself up from the ground.

They had just run into a group of mist Genin after one of their cronies attacked them; Sai had disappeared, but he could look after himself in a fight, so he wasn't too worried about him. Even Sakura was shaping up a little – she had a decent punch on her, and she had used it well just a few moments ago; she forgot to brace herself though, and the force of her own attack had removed her balance.

"Yeah, I know, I forgot to brace! I didn't expect that nut to pop up behind me like that..." she muttered in reply, hopping back onto her feet.

"Are we going to wait here for Sai?" she asked, looking around at the three ninja with a wary look as he checked their pockets for their scroll – he found one, but not the right one, and mourned the wasted expense of his energy.

"We'll wait a few more minuets, but we can't stay here too long – if he doesn't turn up, we'll just have to press on ahead" he replied.

There was an awkward few moments as they waited by the three groaning bodies, Sakura looking unusually nervous about something – god was she still worrying about Naruto? She had been like that earlier...

"Sasuke, do you really know Naruto so well?" she asked, confirming his suspicions.

"As well as you can for three months about five years ago... What do you have against her anyway? About all she's done is mess with Ino a little; wasn't she your best friend or something? Why are you so edgy around her?" he replied, a hint of his earlier irritation coming back into his voice.

"I know that but... Something is off about her Sasuke! I... She looks like my best friend, but that's not her at all! I can tell she's... She's different! She... I swear she... I thought she did something to your neck the day before yesterday when we met her, I thought I saw a mark there for a few moments when she hugged you too..."

How on earth had she noticed that mark? Why was she she bothered anyway? It wasn't like she had any more reason to be overly suspicious of her. Her last words bugged him though, and once they sank in his eyes settled back Sakura with plain anger in them.

"You _followed_ us yesterday?" he snarled.  
"I just wanted to makes sure she was trustworthy! She's from a foreign village now, no matter where she came from originally! I know she did something to you yesterday, so I-"

"Did it not occur to you that I would notice that _myself?_ Why do you think I dragged her off like that? I _know_ she's got her own agenda Sakura, she always has!" he snarled – he didn't like the knowledge that Sakura had been spying on them at all.

"What? But if you knew then why-"  
"Why should I explain it to you? You're just my team-mate, nothing else! Hell, you were actually stalking me! I thought I'd seen the limit at the academy, but you just proved me wrong!" he snarled again, interrupting her.

He didn't feel a shred of guilt when tears welled up in her eyes – she was always crying for one reason or another. Besides, he was completely infuriated at the moment. He might be able to apologize later, when a bit more rationality over it all dawned, but for the moment he was sticking with the fury – he did _not_ appreciate being spied on, and especially not at a moment like _that!_

Sakura was about to say something else when Sai stumbled out onto one of the branches. Or he appeared to; one brief sentence was enough to detect that the person standing in front of them was not his socially-challenged team-mate.

After being caught, the illusion disappeared and he was faced with Naruto's hedgehog look-alike team-mate; he was a little surprised that she would attack them, but after a few blows were exchanged, he began to get the impression there was no team – just a group who happened to be stuck together.

"If it's an earth scroll you're after, you're looking in the wrong place" he informed him after several more blows were exchanged; there was an odd ringing in his ears that seemed to be getting steadily worse as he hit or was hit by the guy.

"Who said anything about that? I'm just in it to get that bitch to shut up about you – figure she'd give me a moments peace if I took you down a few pegs. Besides, there's no rule against eliminating the competition..." he replied, lunging forward again, plated arm held aloft.

He manage to dodge the first blow, and the second one, but the hedgehog flicked behind him faster than his yet-to-mature Sharingan could keep up with, and he fell to the third ringing blow as he turned to block it; a splitting pain wreaked havoc in his left ear, and he was certain he felt blood trickling from it.

He was already having problems keeping his balance, but a burst ear-drum too? It could be healed, but not without a medic, and it would have to be quickly if he wanted his hearing to remain the same; not contemplating giving up to Naruto's ass of a team-mate, he formed a quick set of hand seals before he could pop up again, and let fly a fireball.

It was only the flicker of moment he caught from the corner of his eye that alerted him to the evasion of the technique, and only the quick grasp of a kunai that kept another from being pressed against his jugular; forcing back with his kunai and kicking the older teen in the chest, he retreated a few more steps to release another fireball.

It was dodged again, and the guy jumped backwards onto one of the branches as Sai stumbled onto one of the tree branches, looking very wet, exhausted, and burnt. Before he had time to ask what had happened, Naruto's other team mate with the weird holes in his hands joining the first on the opposite branch.

"Isn't that the little brat she keeps going on about? Looks like you gave him some trouble..."  
"Have a go – I'm getting bored. Besides, we need to meet up again, and we'll never get any peace if one of us isn't there to meet her..."

The ear-drum burster disappeared, but he was left with the unknown abilities of the second sound Genin to deal with; Sai didn't look like he had enough chakra to make much more than a basic clone, and Sakura didn't have anything but her weapons and fists. He had chakra, and techniques, but he was completely disorientated, and had a burst eardrum; hardly the ideal situation.

Discreetly he slipped three shuriken into the palm of his hand, hiding them within his hand seals as he formed a flower phoenix technique; they flew through the air with the release of his chakra towards the second sound Genin, only to be blasted back towards him with a wind technique – a few of them hit him thanks to the disorientation.

Using a fire technique was out of the question – usually fire was enhanced by wind but those flames had just been blotted out by the force of the air pressure – the difference in level was too great. He could stick with physical attacks and weapons for now, but that would only last so long – he needed to think of a plan, fast.

It took all his strength not to be bowed under by the blast of air that was forced in his direction, and felt the sharp tear of cuts that formed on his arms; keeping one arm in front of his face, his other reached into his shuriken pouch and pulled out a few shuriken. As soon as the wind dissipated he flung them forwards, too quick for the sound ninja to avoid; he smirked when the man let out a yelp of pain as the stinging pieces of metal sunk into his flesh.

Just because he couldn't use fire didn't mean he couldn't use the element; infusing some ordinary shuriken with his fire element wasn't the same as chakra reactive metals – it just got hotter and hotter, like in a forge. They did a bit more damage that way, and were more distracting.

Darting forwards to attack, he aimed at the man's vital points with his kicks and punches – Naruto's team-mate or not, this guy was bad news, and Sasuke had the sneaking feeling that he wasn't against more permanent violence. In fact, his hedgehog team-mate had bluntly informed him of much the same thing.

The blows were countered quickly, almost too fast for him to keep up with, but he could keep up now – his eyes were itching a little, so he guessed he had gained his second set of tomoe in the Sharingan; seeing didn't make up fro the disorientation and half-deafness though. He completely missed a sneak attack to the gut and was hurled backwards, crashing against the trunk of one of the huge trees.

Then there was a splitting pain in his shoulder as a tagged kunai landed in it; he hadn't even seen the Oto Ninja throw it. the tag glowed and the ink began to dribbled down into the flesh wound through the blade. The effect was horrific – he felt ill, shivery, both hot and cold and his blood began to burn in his veins; poison.

I'd really love to gut you properly, but Dosu's right about that bitch doing her nut in if we don't show up. I'll just have to be satisfied with knowing that your death will be nice and slow" he informed him as his team-mates rushed over from their frozen positions.

Sasuke didn't hear or see what happened next – the poison bubbling and boiling in his veins clouded his mind, and he blacked out. The last thing he could think of before the dark consumed him, was that this was entirely Naruto's doing.

* * *

**_Mwahahahahaha! And it begins! I think you can figure out who uses the Salamander summons - I couldn't give Naruto the Toads, and she really doesn't suit the Snakes, so I gave her the Salmanders! They're still amphibians, and they're not as nice as the Toads. I feel like explaining the quote at the top, so here goes; Sasuke constantly lives in the past, but this time the memories he has of naruto are going to be a double-edged sword. _**

**_Especially later on...  
_****_I have plans that will put him through emotional hell yet again... X)_**

**_Naruto will be hanging around for a lot longer than the Chunin Exams by themselves. She can put the cursed seal on Sasuke and help advance it, but it isnt nearly as effective as the one Orochimaru gives out, so she has to hang around. Orochimaru can't do it because he tried to give it to Naruto, and the Kyuubi didnt like that much. SO now he can't use it at all; the need to be in Sunagakure is just his excuse XD._**

**_Hope you liked the chapter!_**  
**_Nat._**  
**_xxx_**


	4. Part I: Right Kind Of Wrong

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

**

* * *

**

**CHAPTER FOUR**  
**- - RIGHT KIND OF WRONG - -**

* * *

___**'I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright, Who art as black  
as hell, as dark as night' **__**– William Shakespeare.**_

* * *

"_Iruka-sensei..."_

_Sasuke paused before he asked the question on the edge of his tongue, fully aware that it wasn't really normal for him to be asking his teacher a question like this, but he didn't like this feeling of not knowing. He hated it, actually._

_He knew the teachers knew something about what had happened to Naruto; he could tell by the genial looks that had suddenly appeared on their faces the day after she had disappeared. He hated it, because that kind of happiness couldn't be for any good reason that he knew of. Not when it seemed to concern Naruto - the villagers hated Naruto._

_He had a horrible feeling in the pit of his stomach, one that told him he already knew what the answer to his question, but he didn't want to believe it. He refused to believe it until he had actual verbal confirmation._

"_Sasuke? You don't hang by after class often – you didn't have any problems with today's lesson did you?" he asked, eyebrows knotting in concern._

_There was one simple reason he was asking Iruka and not another teacher, and it was because the man seemed to try his best to help Naruto – he didn't seem to hate her like everyone else. He didn't really understand her, but he did try, and that was a plus in Sasuke's mind for his teacher_

"_Sensei, why hasn't Naruto been in class for the past two weeks?"_

_He said it quickly, like taking off a sticky plaster off of a healed cut; Iruka's face morphed into surprise, and then an expression he knew all too well; it was the look he had seen on the faces of the nurses at the hospital after he had woken up after the massacre._

"_Why are you asking Sasuke? I didn't realise you were friends with any of the girls..." he asked, a little warily._

_Sasuke didn't care abut Iruka's wariness – he was impatient. He wanted to know what had happened to her, and he didn't want the stupid sympathy or concern or any of those condescending looks again! He had seen them once before, and he could... he could... he wanted the man to tell him straight out!_

"_She throws rocks at the lake all the time, but she doesn't go any more, and I know she isn't sick, cause she's _never_ sick! She heals quick! I _saw_ it, but she doesn't show up any more! Where is she? You know! I know you do!" he blurted with a little more angry enthusiasm than he had expected._

_Iruka contemplated this, and sighed; Sasuke felt frustration again._

"_Something's wrong! Everyone, all the adults, they've been grinning ever since she... They're _grinning_, and its disgusting! They're grinning and laughing like they're _celebrating_ because..."_

_He couldn't say it; he couldn't say that word. He couldn't think it. He didn't want to; he was chewing his bottom lip, trying to keep the mix of anger and truth from boiling over. Iruka's expression was wide as he had yelled at him, but now it was softer, understanding._

_He sat down in his chair and looked him straight in the eye, and he was grateful for that; he didn't like being talked down to at all, and he especially didn't want to be talked down to on this subject._

"_Sasuke... Naruto's apartment building collapsed; there was an explosion in the chimney system I think, but it was a pretty big building and...a lot of people were... they weren't found. Hokage-sama had ANBU searching the rubble but... they didn't find her."_

_No. He didn't want to hear that! She was really...? No! That wasn't... Naruto couldn't die like that! She just couldn't! She couldn't die at _all!_ He didn't _want_ that! His family was already gone, and now the one person who had come close to understanding that too? He didn't want to hear that...!_

_He didn't even notice the thin wet tracks beginning to leak from his eyes until Iruka had hugged him, and while he hated the predicament of being caught crying by someone else, he couldn't really think of anything – the most he managed was hiding his face in the man's green flak jacket until they had passed._

_After a few months, he would remember the interaction he had with Naruto the night before her apparent death, and would begin to reject the idea, but at the moment, all he could concentrate was the awful feeling of grief as it consumed him for a second time.  
_

* * *

Naruto pouted at the blood on her hand as she withdrew it from the body of a Kusgakure ninja; she _hated_ getting blood on her mesh gloves! It was always so hard to get off! It made her nails look disgusting if it was left to set too... Thinking nothing of it, she began to lick the blood off as best she could until she could get to a stream.

The removal of Sai had gone well; one of the lesser-level salamanders had been the perfect distraction for Sai – it was a miracle he had survived being swallowed though – the fire-breathing lizards had a horribly burning stomach fluid. It was what they used for their fire breath after all.

Disgusting old fart Danzou may be, but he couldn't be accused of slacking off in the training of his drones; the remaining ninjas of the team were staring at her in abject horror as she examined her nails, and one of them threw their scroll at her – she caught it nonchalantly, still examining her nails.

Glancing at the scroll, a smirk crossed her lips; third time lucky! It was an earth scroll! She smiled at the two remaining ninja, then began forming a blue whorl of chakra in her palm, and lunged forward; she slowed the rotation ever so slightly, enjoying the agonizing scream from the guy she had landed on as his insides were torn into with a little more slower finesse.

The girl was already running by the time her team-mate shuddered into the life of a corpse, and that just made her grin all the wider; she loved it when they made her chase them! Leaping after her, she dug her elongated claws into one shoulder for grip, tightly clamping her legs around the girl's waist as the impact of her landing fell to the floor.

Her other hand dug into her face, dragging her chin aside so she could clamp her canine teeth down on the girls throat and tear into her jugular; she spat the lump of flesh to the ground and looked up to the branches above; Dosu and Zaku were standing above her with positively green faces.

Naruto wrinkled her nose at the sight of them; what the hell did they want? There was a rustle, and she was greeted with the much more interesting face of Kabuto, who landed down on the branch as she looked up.

"You seem to be having fun there" he noted.

"You know I don't like keeping it pent up! I had to do something to relax – I almost tore into the old-man's guts yesterday! This is why I need more jobs! Tell snake-head to gimmie more jobs when you go report on me!" she retorted huffily.

That was the only thing she didn't like about the side effects of the Kyuubi's chakra – the urges could be controlled, but they were almost second nature to her, like a bad habit that you couldn't get rid of. The most she had ever lasted was a month, and then she had just gone nuts during a training match with Kin.

She figured that was why Zaku and Dosu sorta hated her, but she really couldn't help it!

"I take it you got the job done?" she asked her team-mates, pulling herself off of the dead body beneath her.

"We poisoned him with the kunai you told us to use – what now?" Dosu asked – he was the only one of the pair that actually seemed to have a brain.  
"And you didn't stay to make sure it _worked?_ You were supposed to make sure he was dead you _idiots!_" she snarled – Kabuto's face remained blank in front of the blatant lie.

"You just said to poison him!" Zaku snapped back in reply.

"I would have thought you had the _common sense_ to make sure it worked! Go fix this mess!" she replied heading away from the clearing.  
"Wha- Hey! Where the heck are you going?"

"Where I'm going is none of your business! Just do as you're told unless you want to end up as my next piece of game!" she snarled back, jumping up onto Kabuto's branch and kicking off onto the next one.

Kabuto said something to Dosu and Zaku, before following her, quickly catching up with her.  
"Do you really need to keep them in the dark?" he asked.

"Those two have blabber mouths; it's better if Sasuke still trusts me a little bit – he's smart enough to know I'm not here for a plain old promotion, but it'll be quicker and easier if Sasuke thinks I'm working in his best interests when the he does find out – he won't believe them if they say they were acting on orders to kill him, but if they blurt out that Orochimaru wants to take over his body... well, he won't get the chance to" she replied.

"And his team-mates? That pink haired one seems awfully suspicious of you..."

"If what I have in mind works out, Sakura won't be too much of a problem; it helps that Sasuke holds my word in higher worth than hers. Suspicious of me or not, he won't listen to her. I already took care of Sai, so there's nothing in the way at the moment..." she finished, kicking off the branches and heading in another direction - she smelled Gaara's sand, and that meant hunting time!

"Where are you really going?" Kabuto asked, catching the excitement on her face.  
"I'm going to find someone to play with."

She could have sworn she heard Kabuto chuckling as she disappeared into the trees.

* * *

"What's wrong with Akamaru?" Hinata asked as she and Shino landed on the ground beside Kiba, surrounded by the bushes and undergrowth Kiba had landed behind.

"Something has him spooked; there someone really strong nearby, but he's never normally this spooked..." Kiba replied, peering out through the leaves into the clearing beyond; it was those three Genin from Sunagakure and some Amegakure Genin.

They exchanged the usual fighting insults back and froth for a few moments and then the hail of needles rained down on the redhead; her eyes widened when the hail ceased, and the sand shell around him could be seen. He reached out a hand forming a hand seal with the other, and the sand fell to the ground, slithering and swarming around the needle user.

Then he lost a little concentration, turning to look over his shoulder just as an orange Otogakure blur landed on his back, and Akamaru burrowed even further into Kiba's coat.

"Hello Naruto" the redhead greeted blankly, not bothered in the slightest by the contact.  
"I smelled your sand, so I came to watch!" she replied grinning, before turning to wave at his team-mates.

"Smell of... How could she know what it...Why would she...?" Kiba asked to no-one in particular as they stared out at the scene in front of them; there was something about the disbelief on his face that scared her.

Hinata was sure she had been mistaken by the implications Naruto's words placed on the scene in front of her, but then the sand surrounding the Genin began to tighten, and the grin on Naruto's face turned into something malicious as the boy she had latched herself onto picked up the discarded umbrella, and crushed the struggling Genin into a mass of flesh, bone and blood.

One of the other Amegakure Genin hastily dropped a heaven scroll to the ground, a unmistakable look of terror in his eyes as the droplets of rain fell down on himself and his remaining team-mate.

"Hey Gaara, you want the other two right? Gimmie one please? All this blood is making me twitchy... I haven't had much fun since leaving Otogakure... Village image and all that mumbo jumbo..." Naruto asked in a wheedling tone, her arms still clasped around his neck and a pleading look in her eyes.

Kiba's eyes grew even wider at that, and Hinata couldn't blame him; she had always admired Naruto when she had been in the academy, and one thing she had noticed was Kiba's attachment to her. She could barley believe the words that were coming from their former classmate's mouth.

She meant every word that was coming out of her mouth, and she was saying it eagerly; it just didn't fit with the memories in her mind. What kind of place was Otogakure if Naruto was enjoying the scene that was occurring in front of their eyes?

"Go ahead"

She moved almost faster than her eyes could keep up with, almost dancing on the sharp arm of sand that darted towards the remaining two Genin; taking the risk and activating her Byakugan, Hinata watched the secondary supply of chakra bubble to the surface, clogging her coils as her nails and canines lengthened.

She moved so quickly she could barley keep up with her, but thank god her father had been taking a more vested interest in her recently. After somehow managing the 64-palms in her training, he had taken interest in training her again, so she was more used to such speedy movements.

She appeared at random placed, but fluidly landing fast, heavy blows - too quick to be countered - and dodged haphazard attacks before they were in an inch of her. She had a malevolent grin on her face as her claws and teeth tore at the Amegakure Genin; she was just toying with him...

Finally, she drove a hand into the boy's gut, but not in a particularly vital spot; the blood spurted around her hands after a few moments, and his eyes widened before the was a howl of the wind, and he was torn to pieces from the inside out as his remaining team-mate was crushed by Gaara's sand.

The clearing was filled with the sound of Naruto's laughter as she danced about like a young child under the second shower of bloody rain.

* * *

"Ouch!" Sai winced as Sakura replaced one of the bandages on his arms underneath the sheltering roots of one of the the giant trees.

"Where did it even come from? I thought the Salamanders were a forbidden contract outside of Amegakure... There weren't that many applicants from Amegakure were there?" she asked.

Sai had finally woken up after collapsing from his burns, and had retold the story of the Salamander summons attacking him. She was glad they had a medical kit, but he needed a proper medic. She had basic first aid from the academy, but that was it.

She couldn't deal with burns like this, and she had no clue how to deal with the poison that was spreading through Sasuke's veins; after pulling the kunai out he had been screaming even through his unconsciousness, and a burning, smoking black mark had appeared on his neck a few hours ago.

She had tried every kind of routine hand out antidote with them, even going ins Sai's shuriken pouch for some extras, but there was no change at all; what kind of poison was this? Why couldn't she do anything? Sai could barley talk, let alone move, and if that Oto Genin was to be believed Sasuke was dying a slow death right in front of her...

"It was just prowling around out there – I think someone summoned it to pick off anyone it came across..." he winced as she tightened the bandage as best she could around his chest.

There was a crackle of leaves outside their makeshift shelter and the jittery girl threw a kunai towards the poor squirrel that had encroached her trap. Before she could breathe a sigh of relief though, two nastily familiar sound Genin emerged from the shrubbery on the other side of the clearing.

"What the hell are you doing here? You've caused enough damage to us already!" she yelled, pulling a kunai from her leg holster, feeling Sai pulling out one of his blank scrolls and his ink brush.

"We still need a scroll, and you're easy pickings" the one with the bandaged face replied.

They lunged forward dodging the pre-dug pit trap; Sakura cut the cord holding the log trap in place as Sai formed a single hand seal – a pair of his ink lions emerged from the trap towards the sound ninjas. They had taken a large chunk of his chakra, and he had been left breathless from the effort thanks to his current physical state, but they were worth it.

The two ink cats left some nasty claw marks on the hunchback's chest and on the shoulder of the wind user before they were blasted with an air slice in to inky splashes on the ground. Sai struggled to his feet, but was immediately pushed back down by his pink haired team-mate.

"Don't you dare think of moving Sai! You and Sasuke have done enough!" she informed him, pulling her an array of shuriken from her pouch and taking a few steps outside the shelter of the roots.

She glanced at the two ninja and furrowed her brows; this had something to do with Naruto, she just knew it. If Naruto hadn't caught her spying on them the day before, she was certain that whatever was going through her mind would have been put into action already...

Sasuke refused to see her for what she was because he was stuck in the past, but she wasn't their childhood classmate any more! She wasn't her old playmate any more! She was an enemy ninja from another village, with a nasty streak she seemed determined to keep low key unless the situation suited her.

The feeling of inescapable death she had received from that one look over Sasuke's shoulder when they had run into her... it had been horrible. Naruto was an old friend yes, but an old one. They couldn't trust her any more, and Sasuke was learning that the hard way.

"You're talking bullshit; if you wanted a scroll, you could have just taken it from us earlier! What do you three want with Sasuke? What did you do to him?" she demanded, bracing herself from any attacks.

"Three? Oh, you mean the yellow haired bitch too... Sorry couldn't tell you. I just follow orders. We were just told to come back and finish the job" the hunchback informed her, plaintively flexing his fingers.

He lunged towards her, metal covered fist held high and aimed directly towards her; Sakura pushed her chakra into her feet and soared into the air with a kick from the ground, dodging the attack. Twisting in the air, she clenched her own fists and hurled the collection of shuriken towards him as she gathered her chakra in her fists.

Naruto's explanation before the written exam yesterday had sparked a little of her own bookish curiosity, and after reading up on Tsunade and her techniques in her father's bingo book, she had done a little experimentation; she hadn't wanted to go into the exams without something useful in her arsenal, and though it was far from perfect, it was all she had right now.

The ninja below her was busy deflecting shuriken when her fist blasted down into his gut; it wasn't destructive per se, but it was certainly more effective than the average punch. He stood back up with out much notable effect, but all she had to do was keep hitting him and use her smarts – she had plenty of those after all.

* * *

Sasuke awoke to a black world. Glancing around the endless darkness, he caught sight of himself standing only a few meters away; the boy in front was younger, but it was definitely him.

Image's of his parents and his brother flashed through his mind, but he did his best to ignore them; there was no way this sort of dream was good, he knew that instinctively. He couldn't listen to anything, or look at anything, smell anything...

They had been taught on mind games and techniques like this, and if in doubt, the best thing to do was to just shut off every sense and block it out until he could find some method of counteracting it, or until someone could help do the same thing. That was the thing to do.

"You should stop fighting it you know. It isn't going to do you any harm if you just accept it; if anything it'll just help you when you finally kill him."

That voice... He slowly opened his closed lids to find the old Naruto peeking out from behind his younger self; she wasn't the same though... She had all the hidden personality of her present self, trapped in the most familiar image he had of her.

_'This is a mind game of Naruto's making'_ his brain screamed, _'You can't trust a ghost – that isn't Naruto any more!'_, but it was to a deaf set of ears; he knew Naruto damn it. He knew this was of her organisation, but he knew that she wasn't lying this time.

She meant it when she said it would be to his benefit to give in to... whatever this was. Of course she did – she was responsible for putting him in this predicament.

"What did you do to me?" he asked – he still wasn't completely convinced despite his own opinions.  
"I gave you a boost; well, technically Sensei did – I'm just his messenger."

That didn't answer many of his questions, but he got the impression that he could get a power boost if he played his cards right. Another image of Itachi flashed through his mind, and he threw his caution away; to hell with it! If Naruto said it was a boost, then it was a boost, and he'd take any boost he could get if it meant killing his brother would be that much easier.

"I just stop fighting it?" he asked.  
Naruto nodded.

So that was what he did; he re-tuned his senses, his mind, to the horror once again, and then it washed over him. He could feel it rushing through him immediately, and he absently felt a warning screaming from somewhere inside him, but he ignored it.

"There's more where that came from if you want it."

Naruto's voice was barley more than a whisper as the power and the black consumed him, but he couldn't find a hint of a lie in her words. Naruto never lied to him – she just withheld things, and once he woke up, he was certain she wouldn't be withholding so much from him any more.

That thought was just as appealing as the promise of power her words implied.

* * *

_**Chapter 4 is done. I liked this chapter for some reason – I liked writing the scene with Gaara; I gave Sakura a boost too, because I refuse to write Kunoichi to be as useless as they are in canon... I apologize for the lame fight scenes; I'm really not good at writing fights... I can get them in, but they aren't my favourite thing to write, so they never turn out very well...**_

_**Chapter title and inspiration comes from 'Right Kind Of Wrong' by LeAnne Rimes. To the lovely people who do like this fic, please keep reading; i hope you liked this chapter, and look forward to the next one!  
**__****_

_**Nat.  
xxx**_


	5. Part I: A Beautiful Lie

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER FIVE  
- - A BEAUTIFUL LIE - -**

* * *

_**'Love is something eternal; the aspect may change, but not the essence' – Vincent van Gogh.**_

* * *

"_Naruto!"_

_Naruto looked up at her pink-haired best-friend in surprise; Sakura didn't normally follow her after school, so what did she want? Apparently... just to chat. She started jabbering away at her about nails and flowers and a whole bunch of other girly stuff she usually forgot about, her mind predisposed towards her training._

_As they walked through the crowd of people picking their children up from the academy, Sakura glanced at some of the adults glaring at her blond friend with shock, then anger, before turning to Naruto, who was almost oblivious to the looks – she was used to them by now, eve if they pissed her off._

"_Naruto... why do all the adults give you funny looks? All the grown-ups at the academy give you them, and Mama blows up if someone even mentions you in a funny way..." Sakura asked, stopping as they walked out of the academy gates,_

"_I..."_

_Sakura had noticed those looks? Well, there went any hopes that they were just a figment of her imagination again. But since when did Sakura not notice start to notice things like that anyway? They had been friends for a while, and Sakura's parents and big sister even _liked_ her, but she hadn't thought Sakura noticed things like that..._

"_I didn't really notice them..." she lied; Sakura didn't look like she bought it for a moment but she knew she wasn't going to get the truth. She let it slide with only a minor angry frown. Though Sakura's frowns were really no more than irritated pouts._

"_Ah! I bet it's all those pranks! You should stop doing them so much! You're always getting into trouble, but if you just worked, you could beat Ino for top Kunoichi just like that...!" Sakura said, snapping her fingers before continuing into a long list of reasons why pranks were bad._

"_Hypocrite; I've seen you laughing when no-one's looking your way – you like them as much as I do!" Naruto grinned, sticking her tongue out in a teasing manner._

_Sakura flushed bright red before they both broke out into short giggles of laughter; they were contemplating heading for Ichiraku's when there was a yell from one of their classmates. Kiba hurried over to them, looking a little frazzled from running so fast._

"_What wrong with you?" Sakura asked._

_Kiba said nothing in reply to the question directly, but he started blabbering a training day with some of the other students from the class at his house, and that they were invited too. Sakura's face turned into a complex, delighted frown when she learned that Sai (the new boy) would also be attending._

_He had called her ugly on his first day, but when she had started crying he had been very panicked, apologizing and saying it was supposed to be a nickname. She had calmed down, but he still called her ugly so Sakura had hit him as punishment. Naruto wondered if Sakura would drop her obsession with Sasuke and tell the boy she had a crush on him before they graduated._

_She didn't really know how to look at him herself; something about him made her wary of him, and he seemed almost familiar sometimes, even though she knew she had never met him before._

"_What about you Naruto?" Kiba asked, a little nervously._  
_"Kiba, get away from her right now!"_

_Kiba jerked around and stared at his mother in surprise, mumbled a quick apology to Naruto before getting to her feet and hurrying to meet her by the gate; the woman immediately began to scold him, though Kiba didn't seem to find the lecture all that important or even understand where it was coming from. _

_Indeed, he even tried to stand up to his mother's demands._

"_Why should I? Naruto's really nice! She's funny and she likes Akamaru and she's a really good spar partner and-"  
"Kiba Inuzuka, you will do as you're told and stay away from that monster of a child!"_

_Naruto had been used to hearing mutters, seeing the glares and blatant dislike of the villagers, but that word... That was one word she had never heard before; it was just once though, and that was all it took for . That was the word every single villager had been holding back from their tongues for as along as she could remember._

_Sakura glanced towards her worriedly as Kiba was reluctantly pulled away by his mother, and suddenly grew very irritated with the words that had just emerged from Tsume Inuzuka's lips._

"_Naruto's not a monster you mean old hag! Say that again and I'll pound you and your stupid one-eared mutt, hell yeah!" She yelled, voicing her true opinion for the first time in quite a while._

_The sight of Sakura's real personality coming out was enough to force a smile onto Naruto's face, but the sudden wary expression on Tsume's caught her attention too. It was almost like she had come close to saying something... dangerous. Something she wasn't supposed to. Something very secret._

_Some of the other adults were staring at her too, thanks to Sakura's angry outburst, and Naruto could see the same word hidden behind their lips. She didn't know how, she just knew it was there, and she knew it was important. _

"_Sakura, I'm sorry, but I just remember I gotta talk to Ji-ji this afternoon... I can't go to Ichiraku's" she informed the girl, putting on an expression that matched that of a person who had been told their pet had died._

_After Sakura had nodded in understanding, promising to drop by with some leftover dinner later on instead, she headed for the Hokage tower as fast as her legs would carry her; she was going to get the answers she wanted, whether Ji-ji wanted to give them to her or not._

* * *

"Looks like that pink haired girl isn't as weak as I'd first assumed – she must have phenomenal control over her chakra to have gotten so far with Tsunade's abilities after only one day of practice" Kabuto mused, leaning against the trunk of a tree as they stared down at the scene unravelling before them.

"She was always was good with chakra manipulation exercises when we were younger" Naruto agreed, her legs kicking back and forth beneath the branch she was seated on.

"She's a Haruno isn't she?" Kabuto asked – Naruto nodded, her eyes narrowing in suspicion.  
Did Kabuto know something about Sakura she didn't?

"I guess that explains it then; they were always good with chakra control... It explains why she was put on a team with Sasuke and a ROOT brat..." Kabuto mused to himself; he realised he had spoken out-loud and shuffled uncomfortably under Naruto's analytical gaze.

He did know something about Sakura – she'd have to investigate that later though.

Sakura was much better than she had anticipated, and had a brain to boot; that trick against Dosu with the substitutions was very good – she had landed a pretty decent hit on him thanks to that, but it looked like she would be_ 'forced' _to intervene in a few moments.

Sakura had been kicked back into Zaku's hold and Sai was down after trying to help out; Sakura kicked Zaku in the groin, and he slackened the arm on her throat enough to remove the choke hold on her neck, and a kunai released her hair from his other grip but Dosu was getting closer to Sasuke.

They might actually kill him if she didn't step in... but she could afford to wait a little longer. She was faster than Dosu was, and it wasn't like she couldn't get through the exam without them – it would just be easier with actual people instead of using Corpse Clones.

She watched as Sakura tried to get back onto her feet, only to kicked in the side by her pissed off air-wielding team-mate and landing a few feet even further back from the root-formed cave in which Sasuke was...

Her eyes widened as Sasuke slowly climbed to his feet, flesh consumed by the dark flecks of the heaven seal.

She may have caused what was occurring below her, but all she could think of was that such a look should never, ever be present on Sasuke's face; he stared tugging on Zaku's arms, and all the memories she had of him seemed to rush to the forefront of her mind, screaming the correct, how Sasuke was supposed to be instead of...

"_I'm throwing rocks, and I live here! You're the one in a weird place..."_

There was a sickening crack in Zaku's arms as they were broken, popped from their sockets completely and torn from the joint, and Sasuke turned to give Dosu that same maliciously ecstatic, black flecked face; that face chilled her to the bone. It was... he...

"_You're late!"_

What had she _done? _This... this wasn't right – Sasuke shouldn't be enjoying this! That wasn't natural, he wasn't like her! He shouldn't be... Sasuke began taking the steps toward her remaining team-mate, making promises that looked like they had turned Sakura's stomach as his fingers closed around Dosu's neck...

"Sasuke, stop it!" Sakura yelled, confirming the suspicion.

They turned her stomach too, despite the face she had enacted some of those promises in the past herself, and thoroughly enjoyed them, but Sasuke... he was laughing. he was laughing as Dosu's fingers clawed at his grasp. he was enjoying this... Sasuke shouldn't be enjoying this...!

"_Why did you __leave__ like that?"_

Everything seemed to slow down as she darted down from the tree branch, ignorant of Kabuto's voice calling out to her as she slammed the soles of her feet down against the earth; she didn't even think to use her half-finished Hiraishin, all that was in her mind was stopping Sasuke before...

_She leaned forward and pressed her lips against his own; he raised his hands tentatively, one lightly grasping her side, the other going to the back of her neck as he pressed his lips against hers in response._

This... wasn't the Sasuke she wanted to see! She didn't want him to turn into this! Just as Dosu's struggles and clawing grasps began to slacken, she crashed into him, her arms rushing around him so her fingers could grasp the blue material on his back with as much strength as she could muster.

The impact against him was as surprising to him as it was to her, and his feet gave away beneath him, both of them falling to the dirt floor of the forest.

"Don't you dare let it control you! Don't you _dare!_ You're stronger than that!" she whispered in his ear – she refused to admit it was begging, because she had landed him in this mess, and she _'obeyed'_ her orders.

This was just advice – this was just coherent advice on how to use the cursed seal to his own ends, to make the lure of power all that more appealing.

That was her excuse for clinging her fingers into his back, for burying her face in his shoulder so she wouldn't see those marks on his skin, but she couldn't think of anything to excuse the tears burning the corners of her eyes, nor how desperate she was for those marks to disappear.

* * *

Gradually they faded, and Naruto felt the jitter of confusion as Sasuke really woke up from his cursed-seal induced mania.

She could sense the questions on his lips, but she detached herself before he could ask them. Instead she turned to her team-mates, and made a show of apologizing to Sakura with frequent bows of her head.

She could feel the glares from her _'team-mates'_ and from Sakura, but she didn't say a word until she headed towards Sai; the girl blocked her way with complete distrust in her eyes.

"I don't know what you're planning Naruto, and I don't know what it has to do with Sasuke, but if you think I'm going to let you drag Sai into this too you have another thing coming!" she snarled, holding a kunai out in front of her despite her obvious exhaustion.

Naruto grasped her wrist lightly, but firmly, giving her a steady gaze as she moved the kunai out of the way.

"You don't have to worry about Sai, Sakura; I'm just going to heal him alright? I owe you that much..." she informed her in a little exasperation.

Sakura frowned in confusion, but held her position firm. Naruto sighed in frustration; the girl really couldn't accept a gesture of kindness for what it was could she? She could have just let the idiot's wounds get worse but nooo...

She had to be planning some dastardly plot for him too. Oh well, if that was what Sakura wanted, that was what she would get.

"How about I put it this way; your team is no good to me if you don't at least make it out of this exam alive. That should be sufficient motive for me to do the job properly shouldn't it? I'll even heal you when I'm done... for old times sake..." she grated, allowing a trickle of the Kyuubi's chakra into her coils despite her smile.

It wasn't enough to turn her eyes, but it was still enough to make the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck rise, and recognise the seriousness of her words. It probably wasn't the fear, but her last words that made Sakura slacken her grip on the kunai though; Naruto moved past her and got down to the business of healing Sai's wounds.

It wasn't nearly as bad as it looked, but he still wouldn't have been in a condition to finish the exam without help; after she had finished with him, she moved onto Sakura, who was as frozen ans a statue from fear and suspicion throughout the whole thing, and then she moved onto Sasuke.

He eyed her with the same look he always had as she healed the burst eardrum and cuts and grazes and shoulder wound from Zaku's kunai, but she didn't dare look him in he eye. She didn't want to loose sight of herself again. Especially not in front of Kabuto...

Maybe coming to Konoha had been a bad idea... She had lingering attachments to Sasuke that were beginning to interfere with her job, and she couldn't afford any doubt from Orochimaru just yet... She would have come back for Sasuke eventually, since he would be easier to intergrate into her plans than Itachi but this was almost too soon...

Satisfied that they were all capable of getting through the rest of the exam, she pulled her team-mates onto her back.  
"Naruto wait! What did you do to Sasuke?"

Naruto turned her head towards Sakura, then once towards the equally wary and confused Sasuke, before replying with, for the first time in five years, regret in her tone and on her face.

"I just gave him what he wanted Sakura; it was ugly, and these idiots messed up, but that's all I did"

With a last look from the corner of her eye towards Sasuke, she left the clearing, ignoring the sound of Sasuke's voice echoing her name behind her.

* * *

Naruto dropped her team-mates unceremoniously on the ground, unsympathetic to their injuries.

She could feel Kabuto's chakra as he landed in the tree branches above them, but she ignored him. Dosu and Zaku were groaning and heaving on the ground in front of her; Dosu in particular was struggling for his breath as he glared at her.

"What the hell are you playing at? You told us to kill him and now you jump in to save his ass? What the hell are you plan-"

Naruto pounced on him, digging her fingers into his shoulders and pushing the Kyuubi's chakra into his chakra coils to the horror of her other team-mate; he screamed as the demonic chakra began to contend with his own, burning him inside out on a cellular level.

Zaku immediately fled, but she didn't care – she would catch him later. She needed to get her self back under control; it wasn't even four days since arriving in Konoha, but seeing Sasuke had made her forget her goals; she needed to vent somewhere, and she didn't like Dosu and Zaku anyway...

Where had that come from anyway? What Sasuke chose to do with Orochimaru's gift was not something she should worry about! Her goals had nothing to do with him just yet! They did involve keeping Orochimaru happy until he outlived his use though, and interfering like that wasn't going to keep him happy if he found out that she had meddled!

She was slipping! She was slipping back into her old ignorances after only a few days of minimal interaction with him! She didn't want that! She wanted nothing to do with Konoha, and frankly, she would have come along to take part in the invasion with more enthusiasm than Kabuto faced with a previously unused body!

Dosu shuddered beneath her fingers, falling in the stiffness of death as she yanked her clawed nails from his shoulders; Kabuto fell down from the branches at the same moment.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"Much; I'll probably return to sanity when I catch up with Zaku; will you lend me a couple of cadavers for the exam? I don't want to use _their_ bodies – dragging them to the tower with me is going to be too much of a pain..."

Kabuto didn't flinch at the request, and tossed her a couple of scrolls from his shuriken pouch; he didn't seem at all bothered by her momentary loss of control, he seemed amused actually.

"You think you can still manage it? Orochimaru-sama won't hold it against you if you can't; the reason he asked you in the first place was because Sasuke is more likely to trust you..."

Naruto turned on him, snarling and bearing her fangs in protest as her eyes flashed with red anger.

"You think I can't do it? Orochimaru'll get him Kabuto! I don't care what I have to do to manage it either! One way or another, Orochimaru'll get him! That's a promise!" she snapped.

Naruto darted off in the trees, her nose sniffing for Zaku's trail as she tried to squash the immediate repugnance her own words had generated in her chest.

* * *

Before Sasuke knew it, his ears were back to normal, Naruto had disappeared with her team-mates, Kabuto had popped up to stop Sakura from opening the scroll, and thye was standing in the hall with the other teams of Genin.

They had travelled in with Kabuto, and he was standing with his own team, on the other side of the crowd that had survived the exam from his own class, Naruto's some distance on the other. The mark on his neck was burning horribly, and he could feel the worried eyes of his team-mate's but he ignored them.

He was busy watching Naruto; what the heck was she playing at? She was the one who had orchestrated this whole thing, or at the very least a significant part of it, so why had she...? He had been too stunned and dazed at the time to notice, but once she had disappeared, he'd noticed the damp patch on the cloth covering his shoulder.

He didn't ever remember her crying before, and he hadn't heard or seen it, but the evidence was there; if she was going to react like that then why bother marking him in the first place...? What kind of mark was this anyway?

None of the teachers seemed to have noticed despite his team's obvious qualms; thanks to the bandages and plasters that Naruto had covered it up with, it looked like he had just had a nasty gash on his shoulder or something, and he planned to keep it that way.

That power... It had an evil feel to it, but he wouldn't deny that it felt good. It was raw. Begging to be brought under control, and he wanted to know more about it. To do that he would have to talk to Naruto; his own eyes on her as the Hokage explained the mechanics of the Chunin exams, he caught the furtive alarmed ones from Team Eight too.

Why were they so scared of her? He'd admit that she definitely wasn't as innocent and trustworthy as she liked to portray any more, but that wasn't a reason to be scared of her; it was just like with Sakura... What was garnering all this fear in her direction? She didn't look all that intimidating...

His eyes widened when Naruto's team-mates, and Kabuto all raised their hands to forfeit, but he didn't make anything of it; Naruto watched the three leave, before letting out a personal snicker of amusement that made Team Eight very nervous for some reason.

It was then that the preliminaries began, and they all traipsed up the stairs to the viewing balcony; It was with a strange mixture of anticipation and dread as the names raced across the screen at random, waiting for them to settle on a pair.

After a few seconds they stopped and he couldn't help a sharp intake of breath as he glanced at the names on the screen. First to fight was one of Kabuto team-mates; Akado Yoroi Vs. Naruto Uzumaki.

* * *

Sasuke watched a little wide eyed as Naruto launched into the fight with Kabuto's team-mate; he'd never seen her fight before, and he knew she was fast but... Even turning on his Sharingan as strong as he could, he could barley keep up with her... Damn, when would he activate the third tomoe?

He'd seen Neji from the year above them fight once, and the movements were similar, but there was nothing soft about it at all. Each of those kicks was well aimed, timed, and had a heck of a lot more force behind them than most of the Genin in his graduating class could come up with.

"Well, well, that's a style I never expected to see again..."  
"So you noticed too Kakashi..."

Sasuke wasn't the only one who tuned to see the fuzzy eyebrowed Jonin standing behind his own teacher, whose porno book was noticeably absent and had a matched expression of interest on his covered face.

"What is it? It's like a cross of the Hyuuga style and something with more strength in the contact itself..." he asked, turning his head back to the fight below.

Naruto had speeded up now, and seemed to be in constant movement, flicking from side to side around her opponent, land heavy blows before he had a chance to turn and vanishing to avoid the retaliative strikes. It was so... There was almost no refinement to it, but it was obviously a trained style.

"It's an old style – it was used by the Uzumaki clan up to the end of the third ninja war, but I assumed it was lost when Uzushiogakure was destroyed. The majority of the users died, so it's nearly extinct now... We had strong links with them, so a lot of refugees came here, but they've moved off to other places now..." Kakashi informed them, turning and gesturing to the red swirl on the back of his flack jacket.

Uzumaki clan? Uzushiogakure? He'd never heard of either of them, though if what Kakashi had just told him was to be believed, he sort of understood why. They didn't teach you on extinct styles, fallen villages, or dead clans in the academy unless it was in a side note.

But still, if the symbol of another village was still part of Konoha's Jonin uniform, why hadn't they been taught about it? It was odd... Kakashi still hadn't explained Naruto's fighting style though, and that was what was interesting him at the moment. Thankfully Gai answered for him

"Its called the Storm Style. It's not really a tricky style to master, but you need a lot of speed, precise timing, and strength to get the full effect of it; it has to be fluid, fast, and furiously strong, and hard to predict, like a storm. Naruto's is still incomplete, but a completed version can even outwit a mature Sharingan..."

Sasuke's eyes widened even more, and turned back to the fight below them; there was something odd. Naruto clearly had the advantage but she wasn't giving the easy final blow... What was she playing at? Concentration with his Sharingan as high as it would go, he watched the flares of chakra beneath her skin...

"You said Uzushiogakure was destroyed... Where was it? I've never heard of it before..." Sakura asked, her own nervous eyes still on Naruto's fight as she asked.

"Their village was set amongst some coral islands off the coast of Wave Country – it was very difficult to get to actually. There were a lot of vortexes in the ocean surrounding them, under currents, rip currents, that sort of thing, and the weather was generally terrible... you had to be very careful when you made the crossing" Kakashi replied absently, his eye narrowing on Naruto.

"I remember some of the users integrating it with their elemental natures once they had mastery over them – it was mostly water, wind, or lightning, so it really lived up to its name when you were caught by one of those users..." Gai added, glancing down himself.

Sasuke was about to ask some more questions on the style itself, but was interrupted by a horrified wail of pain from the man in the arena below. Jerking his back to their full attention of the match, something cold began to rise in his throat.

* * *

_**Holidays over, and all but last chapter written, if not spell-checked. I'll put chapter 6 up soon to make up for the two week dissapearence; my laptop has finally cluncked, thunked, crashed, whizzed, and whirred its last whir... Thank god its covered. Until it gets fixed, I'm using my old one and that does not have internet capabilities... It barley has enough space for CS3... **_

_**I can use the college computers though, so here is chapter 5.  
Title is 'A Beautiful Lie' by 30 Seconds To Mars (forgot chapter 3; 'Trouble Is A Friend' By Lenka).**_

_**Hope you liked.**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx**_


	6. Part I: Love The Way You Lie

**BLURRED SOUND**

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Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

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**CHAPTER SIX  
- - LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE - -**

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'Love is not blind – it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less' – Rabbi. J. Gordon.

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Turning back to Naruto's match, the sight that met Sasuke eyes sent cold shivers over his skin; the man must have tried to do something while he wasn't looking, but it was not his actions that chilled him so much.

Naruto had her fingers on the wrist of the hand attached to her forehead, keeping it there. He could see with the Sharingan that the man had been trying to suck her chakra out, but he was screaming...

Watching, he noticed that he wasn't sucking it out any more, Naruto was forcing it in through his skin. But... there was something odd about it, something frightful in the density, noticeable even to his eyes. It made him wonder what it looked like with the Byakugan...

As the chakra bubbled through the man, it forced its way through his skin, bursting through and actually seeming to gnaw as it emerged from the bloody exits. It was only a small amount, but it was an angry red instead of the normal blue; Naruto certainly looked repulsed as she dropped her grip and the man collapsed to the ground, shrieking and clawing at the ground in a mad fit of pain.

She_ looked_ horrified by what had happened, and stared at her hands, at the blood that had splattered on them when her opponent's skin had burst. She bit her lip, and it looked like she was holding tears back from a distance. Not to sasuke - to him it just away.

If had to guess, the hidden smirk on her face meant she was... enjoying it. No, she definitely was enjoying it; she must have known about his abilities, so she had _forced _him to use them by drawing out the match... He caught sight of her eyes, and remembered the almost hallucination flash he had seen at the dock a few days ago; they really did turn red... Was it this chakra that had done that?

The man had stopped moving now, and was slumped on the floor with blood trailing from the corner of his mouth, his wounds where the chakra had burst through his skin from the inside, and even from his eye sockets. There were a couple of splashes of his blood on one of her hands and...

His stomach might have lurched when he watched her lick it of like a cat licking milk form a saucer, had he not concentrated on her nails – they were like actual claws... A horrified expression crossed her face, as if realising what she was doing, but he saw through that too.

Sasuke had never killed someone on a mission, not even that masked guy in wave country, but Naruto had just... It hadn't even raised a hair on her neck. It was like she was used to it... Was she used to it? Was this what Sakura had been referring to? He knew Naruto had a lot more skeletons in her closet now but...

Sakura began muttering her horror behind clasped, shocked hands, and even emotional ice block Sai looked a little shocked by the display. Glancing at the other teams, he could see matched expression on their faces, except the sand team. Team eight in particular looked very uneasy... Had they seen this before? They had been giving her wary looks for a while...

Naruto seemed not to notice, or not to _care_, and started heading up the steps after the proctor haltingly declared her the winner.

* * *

"Sasuke, stop!"

Sasuke ignored Sakura's voice and set off down the walkway to meet her as she reached the top of the steps. Naruto met the questions in his eyes, but didn't reply until he had started asking them in a hushed tone.

"What the hell was that? What the hell was that chakra? How could you kill him just like that?" he hissed.

"He signed the form – he shouldn't have tried to steal my chakra like that. It's his own fault for being _cocky_ – yes, it was ugly, but what the point in delaying the inevitable? Jeez, if you really want to kill your brother, you should probably start _loosing_ some of that Konoha compassion..." she muttered, moving past him without even a hint of nerves.

He froze in disbelief and anger for a few seconds before a scowl crossed his face and her turned after her, grabbing her wrist and keeping her still.

"Don't you_ dare_ mention him! That's different and you know it! You made him use that technique for your own amusement! What the hell are you doing here Naruto? What the heck is this thing on my neck?" he hissed, pulling her back to mutter directly into her ear.

"I already told you Sasuke – I'm just doing my job."  
"Stop talking in fucking riddles Naruto! I want a straight answer this time!"

Naruto turned around to face him, and the smiled he had seen on her face before were gone, it wasn't really a cold look, just one that didn't have the energy he had once associated with her. He could see the stares of the others, in particular the Hokage on her, then she pulled the rug from under his feet; slumping forward, she buried her head in his shirt collar.

She was playing up her acting for the sake of the observers, obviously trying to look like she was upset about having killed someone, and it looked like they believed her; he used the opportunity to put one arm around her shoulders, preventing her from running as he asked his question again, behind the guise of comfort.

"What are you doing here Naruto?" he asked, making sure his lips were hidden from view in case someone was reading them – which Kakashi was trying to do.

"I'm doing what I have to; like my parents, like_ Itachi_... I'm doing what I have to. I'll tell you later, but not here..." she muttered in reply.

Like her parents? Like his _brother?_ What the heck was she talking about? He wanted to know, but she was right – this was not the time or place; instead of interrogating her any further, her put his other arm around her for a moment – adding more reassurance to those watching - before, with odd reluctance, releasing her and returning to his team.

* * *

Kakashi watched as Naruto headed down the walkway towards the sand team, before turning to quiz him.

"What was all that about...?"

Sasuke scowled at his nosy teacher, but quickly formed a suitable reply that drew a disbelieving stare from Sakura.

"I've seen that chakra before... I dunno what it is but she can't really... its like a natural reaction. It was just her eyes before, but... it's like breathing or something. She can't just turn it off, but it made her do that..."

Kakashi fixed him with a disbelieving stare, but it didn't seem to be at his excuse, more the words themselves; did Kakashi know about that chakra? Naruto _had_ been in the village before, so it was plausible that he knew something about her...

What _was_ that chakra? It seemed important for some reason, he knew it. Gai said something to Kakashi and they both disappeared as Shino's match started – Kakashi an exasperated look on his face. No doubt they had moved off to scheme and try and figure out what he was lying about together. The moment they were gone Sakura started in on him too.

"Why did you lie for her like that? She's not the same any more Sasuke! It's because of her that you have that mark on your neck! You know that!" she said, in a pleading tone that he ignored.

"Sakura's right Sasuke! She's twisting you around like an Inuzuka on a leash and your letting her do it! You know she's dangerous – you know that far better than we do! Why can't you use your brain and report her?" Sai added, equally displeased.

"Because there nothing to_ tell_; she's not actually done anything. There's no proof but suspicions. All she's done is kill that Genin, and it's not like she broke any rules doing that – that's what those forms were for..." he replied, lying once again.

It was true that. What they said was the definite truth, but that wasn't why he was playing along at all. He didn't know why he was playing along with Naruto himself.

There was nothing but question after question after this fiasco of an exam; what was that mark? What did she mean _'more where that came from'_? What was that chakra? What was she planning..?

What on earth had happened to her...?

* * *

After Shino's match against Kabuto's remaining team-mate, the matches progressed very quickly.

The puppeteer from Sunagakure defeated Choji relatively quickly and without any fatal injuries. It was followed by quite a long match between Sakura and Ino, which appeared to be going in Sakura's favour (thanks to her baby Tsunade punches), before Ino used her own hair and trapped Sakura in one position.

It was a relatively simple matter for her to use her family's mind transfer then, but Sakura somehow shook her out after a cheer from Sai of all people, and won the match. He was actually cheerfully surprised by that; he had thought Sakura was a weakling, but she really was beginning to pull her weight on the team now.

For some odd reason Sakura and Ino were both grinning instead of scowling at each other when they returned to the viewing platform, so he supposed there was some personal buisness in the fight. After that there was a quick match ending in a loss for Tenten against the sand girl, before Sai was faced off against Shikamaru.

It was almost as long as Sakura's fight with Ino, but eventually Shikamaru proved too quick minded and strategic for his competent but socially challenged team-mate.

Then it was his turn, against Lee; it was one of the hardest matches he had ever had but, through sheer stubbornness, he had won. He'd actually withstood the boy's lotus and been able to trump him with a good old, well timed fireball.

After that, there was a match between Kiba and Hinata, which to his astonishment Hinata won hands down; what happened to the meek little mouse that used to hide at the back of the classroom? He could have sworn he saw a smile on her cousin's face when she danced a tiny jig at the end.

That left Neji to the remaining sand ninja, the one Naruto seemed so friendly with; there was something oddly similar about them, but he couldn't place it until the boy started using his chakra to manipulate his sand. It was much less so than Naruto's but he had that same, strange second supply of chakra.

Unlike Naruto though, he made no attempt to hide his nasty side, and the Jonin were forced to intervene before he actually killed the boy after beating him fair and square; Neji was taken out by the medics, his cousin hurrying along behind them as he returned to the walkway. Naruto scolded him a little, but she didn't seem too serious about it.

Then they were all lined up and told who they would be fighting against in the first round; he was paired against Shino, after Temari and Shikamaru opened the matches. Following his match was that of Hinata and Kankuro. The match he was most interested in though was the one between Naruto and Sakura.

It wasn't that the victor would face Gaara, but the match-up itself. It felt like an odd twist of fate in some way; Sakura for her part looked halfway between petrified and impatient, but Naruto just looked amused. She even turned to Sakura and warned her that she'd better train hard, because she wasn't going to hold back.

Sakura looked very nervous after that, but he cast the though aside, hurrying after Naruto as they all exited the building; he wanted some answers, and now that the exams were over of a month, he was going to get them.

* * *

Sasuke sat with his legs hanging over the edge of the cliff-face, with a very sour expression on his face.

Never mind not being able to catch up with Naruto after the exams, he and Sakura had been taken to a plateau on one of the nearby mountains to train with Kakashi. He didn't even have the chance to look for her in the village now.

Kakashi had yanked the bandages from his neck as soon as they had arrived, and then set about sealing away what he called a cursed seal; once he had woken up, he could tell from the look on Sakura's face that she had told Kakashi about the mark. Of course, once he had regained his wits the lecture had started, and what a lecture it had been...  
_  
_

* * *

"_For the most promising student in your graduating class, you're acting very much like the class idiot; have you ever thought about just how dangerous this seal is Sasuke, or even where it came from? It has a _ten-to-one_ survival rate! This is Orochimaru's signature!" Kakashi snapped as soon as he was coherent enough to listen._

"_Orochimaru? Who's that?" Sakura asked, though her face expressing concern that should have been Sasuke's._

"_Orochimaru is the third member of the legendary Sannin; he committed various atrocities ranging from murder to unlawful human experimentation, before betraying the village; he's an _S-Rank turncoat!_" Kakashi snapped._

_Sasuke was somewhat alarmed by that, enough for the surprise to show on his face, but he wasn't as surprised as he might have been otherwise; he knew Naruto had mixed up with a slightly dangerous bunch. That was just... a bit more than he was expecting. __It explained why she was so strong too; there was no other outcome for someone studying under any of the Sannin. _

_They were famous for a reason; i__t just didn't explain what Naruto was doing here though..._

"_So... Naruto is working for him? But why would she do that? She's from Konoha! Why is he after Sasuke anyway?" Sakura asked, her face growing very pale, eyes darting from Sasuke to Kakashi._

_Kakashi give them both a considering look, sighed, and crossed his arms before replying._

"_Most likely...for his Sharingan. As for Naruto... well, her disappearance was never very clearly defined. I don't know what she stands to gain from this at all – she could just sympathise with him, or she could have her own agenda..."_

_Sakura's face fell to an even lighter shade, thin lines of anger forming on her brow. Sasuke was considering Kakashi's words, but definitely not in the manner Kakashi wanted him to. It just made him want to talk to Naruto even more._

"_Whichever the case may be, Naruto is dangerous to the both of you, especially you Sasuke, and the sooner you realise that the better it will be."_

* * *

Sasuke stared down the ravine and frowned; Kakashi was right, but... he still wanted to hear the answers from Naruto herself. If she was working for Orochimaru, he wanted to hear it from her own mouth, and if she had her own agenda, he wanted to know what it was...

What reason would she have for teaming up with a turncoat of this Orochimaru's calibre? Even aged seven, she would have been smart enough to know someone like this Orochimaru was bad news right? Why was she working for him? What did she really want from him?

"_Konoha's okay... why?"  
__"Would you leave if you got the chance?"_

The memory flashed through his mind like a dart, his hand absently grasping one of the rocks in a pile beside him; it was a confirmation that she knew what she was doing when she disappeared. He already knew that, but in light of what Kakashi had just told him...

"_I'm doing what I have to; like my parents, like Itachi... I'm doing what I have to."_

What had made her leave? There had to be something that had made her leave; before, she had done nothing but sing praises for Konoha, then she had asked that one weird question and disappeared.

The confusion wasn't much of a change though; Naruto had always encompassed questions even when he had known her. She had always been cagey about her private life, and there were always unanswered questions. Why had he expected that to change? It was the same as before, an endless whirling circle of questions.

"Sasuke! Kakashi-sensei says he's starting us on elemental training..."

Sakura had an anxious look on her face as he stood up, pocketing a few of the rocks from the pile; they had nice sharp edges on them. He'd have to come back and get some more later on. Sakura winced as he stalked past her without a glance, but that was her own fault wasn't it?

If it wasn't for her, he might have been able to go back to the village at night and try to get some actual answers from Naruto, but now Kakashi was keeping his hawk eyes on his every move. The stupid girl should have kept her damn mouth shut.

* * *

Sasuke was waiting for her when Naruto tapped on his apartment window, feet perched on the windowsill; he was seated on the bed looking very pensive, but not hostile. After he opened the window, she hopped inside, taking a seat of her own.

She had been checking to see if he had come back from his training for the past few days, and now she had the opportunity she needed. She wasn't going to waste it

"You know I'm not going to answer _all_ your questions, right?" she informed him bluntly.  
"I figured..." he replied, his eyes flicking over her.

Despite his attempt to catch her after the preliminaries, he and Sakura had been dragged off by Kakashi to the top of some rocky plateau outside of Konoha to get in some serious training. Especially Sakura – Kakashi wasn't as apparently stupid as she had thought.

There was a significant step up in security now, but nothing that she couldn't handle; the exams were starting the next day, and unless there was some serious movement from the Konoha ninjas, they wouldn't be prepared for the invasion at all.

That wasn't her immediate problem though; snatching Sasuke away from Konoha was, as well personal goals. He kept his gaze on her, considering his questions in his mind – she had to admit this was a little nerve-racking, and unpleasant.

If this wasn't presented to Sasuke in the proper light, she would never succeed, and she couldn't afford to fall out of Orochimaru's good graces yet. That and Kabuto was far from barking mad when he said she had lingering... attachments to Sasuke.

"How did you get here without being spotted? They're watching you now, right? How come you aren't being chased by ANBU?" he asked, quite validly too.

"Politics; if a Genin from another village disappeared or was taken into custody by Konoha so suddenly, it'd be bad imaging. I haven't done anything, so all they can do is watch me... or you. I've hidden from the ANBU here before – how the heck do you think I painted the Hokage monument when I was a kid?"

He almost smirked at that answer, but pulled the blank expression back on his face as quickly as the smile had appeared.

"You've orchestrated haven't you?"  
"Yes, but did I actually do something with my own hands that wasn't within the exam rules?"

She grinned at him as he frowned in understanding; sure, they might know she had plotted the whole thing, but considering the only proper witness was Sakura, and maybe Sai, it was her word against Sasuke's and her own. She had plenty of lies up her sleeve, and the look on his face was enough to know that Sasuke would lie through his teeth too.

"What the heck_ is_ this thing?" he asked, on hand going to the now sealed mark on his neck.

Damn meddling Kakashi, she would have to work harder at convincing him thanks top that stupid restriction; she wasn't quite to that level of sealing yet, so she couldn't take it off herself... she'd be able to do some damage, relax it, but not remove it.

"It's... call it a free sample; Sensei likes to give them out to people who catch his eye. Well most of them. His fangs didn't really agree with me, so he has to get other people to pass on the message now..." Naruto replied, leaning back against the pillows, seating her self more comfortably.

The frown deepened on Sasuke's face in interest and confusion; she waited until his mind caught up, incorporating everything he had heard from Kakashi.

"What do you mean _'free sample?'_" he asked.

Naruto smiled almost genuinely.

"You want the power to kill your brother, and Sensei wants a new body, so he's offering his assistance in gaining that power; that cursed seal is a free sample of it. It's incomplete, but it should give you an idea of what he's offering" she replied.

He frowned, realising the implication of what she had just told him, and he flopped down on the pillows beside her, deep in thought; he seemed to be ignoring the_ 'Orochimaru-wants-your-body' _topic because he was suddenly much more grouchy.

"What are you after here Naruto? Are you really just here at his beck and call? Why did you leave? " he asked finally.

The question caught her off guard; was he asking her for her real objective? Her reason for leaving other than her Orochimaru reason? She hadn't really been expecting to to talk about that. She had never talked about it, actually. Gaara knew she had an objective that was best served working under Orochimaru for the time being, but that was it.

Kimimaro knew a few things, but she had only told him because she had need his help when she first arrived in Otogakure. Now that she could stand on her own two feet, he was nothing more than an annoying pest. It was mereley the fact that if she killed him directly she would fall out of Orochimaru's favour that kept him alive now.

"What makes you ask me that?" she relied, not snappishly, just curious.

He sat up a little, staring down at her with the need for understanding on his face, and she felt he heart speed up a few beats; why did he have to stare at her like that? It made her go all off-track...

"You said you were doing what you had to, then you mentioned your parents... and _Itachi_; what do you know about him? _Tell me!"_

His voice rose as he broached the topic of his brother, and the look turned into a hard glare; it didn't intimidate her, she didn't want to deal with him all riled up like this – fun as it was to get him all riled up. She had to deal with her own damn slip of the tongue.

"Why should I? It's none of your business why I'm her-"

He whipped out a kunai from his holster, lunged towards her, and rolled with a thud onto the floor; the kunai was pressed against her throat with one hand whilst the other held her wrists down against the floor.

"Because if you don't I'll call those ANBU _myself!_ I know you have your own objective here, you've never let people order you around, but if you don't tell me what you know about Itachi, I'll make sure you can't reach it!" he hissed.

She laughed. She laughed an almost mad cackle at the threat, then her laughter stopped abruptly. She started letting enough Kyuubi chakra into her coils to turn her eyes and thicken her whisker marks, but not so much as to attract attention.

The effect on Sasuke was immediate. His eyes widened in shock, and she flipped him onto his own back instead, deliberately letting the kunai slice into the side of her neck. He stared at the wound as it closed, fighting her grip on his wrists with little success as she glared down at him.

"You think _that's_ going to stop me from getting what I want Sasuke? A puny little threat like that?" she growled, the chakra creeping through enough to lengthen the nails digging into the skin of his wrists and her canines.

If it hadn't been for the actual fear (or was it disbelief?) on his face it might have continued. Seeing it brought her back with a jolt, and she pushed herself back off of him, quickly pushing the Kyuubi chakra back down. That... she didn't want Sasuke to look at her like _that._

Sakura, the old goat Iruka, she didn't care what _they_ thought of her, but she didn't want _Sasuke_ to look at her like that.

* * *

_**And thus, Sasuke has finally grown a brain. Knowing not to be so trusting of Naruto dosent change how easily manipulated he is though - doeen't matter if you like him or hate him, Canon Sasuke is very easily manipulated, even if he doesn't see it. Chunin finals start in two chapters, and next we have some more SasuNaru! **_

_**After that, things will get closer to the leaving stage. I've just finished the 2nd-to-last chapter of part one, and now all I've got to do is the final valley ending and arrival in Otogakure. I dont know if I'll continue this yet, I'll see what you guys want once I'm done. **_

_**I have a plotline in mind, so I can do that, but I'll need time to get ahead chapter wise if I do, as well as time to think up an ending... Does anyone else have problems writing endings? Thats a big if for the moment though. Lemme know what you thought of this chapter for now!**_

_**Title is 'Love The Way You Lie' By Eminem & Rihanna.**_

_**Hope you all liked!**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx**_


	7. Part I: Dirty Little Secret

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

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* * *

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**CHAPTER SEVEN**  
**- - DIRTY LITTLE SECRET - -**

* * *

_**'A deception that elevates us is dearer than a host of low truths' - Marina Tsvetaeva .**_

_

* * *

_

_Naruto crept the guards to the Hokage's office with relative ease; she knew where the old man kept the information on her already – she had seen him take it out of the drawer enough times._

_The Hokage had a list of every student in the academy, and she knew that everyone of them had an extensive background check first, to make certain they were from a suitable background. It wasn't like any old person could be a ninja – they had to have a decent chakra network for starters, though there were exceptions to that rule._

_Creeping into the office, she knew how to disable the security seals on the old man's desk too; she had almost grown up in this office for five years. She would be stupid not to have noticed that sort of thing. After disabling the seals on the desk drawer, she flicked through the folders, searching for her own name._

_Finding her name, she quickly pulled the folder from the drawer and opened it up; there it was. He name, her age, blood type, and a whole bunch of other technical stuff. She ignored that page for the time being, and turned to the general information section._

'Third Kyuubi Jinchuriki, ninja registration #012607. Born October 10th. Parents; Minato Namikaze and Kushina Uzumaki. Genetic inheritance includes large chakra reserves, nature affiliations, and expected longevity. Development of this should be honed with later introduction to Uzumaki sealing techniques (natures identified as Water, Wind, and Lightning).

It should also be noted that #012607 possesses large chakra reserves and accelerated healing; these are believed to be influenced by Jinchuriki status, and should be given strict lessons in chakra control for future usage. Use of the Kyuubi is limited to three tails of chakra despite attempts to increase this number, and results in internal injury when overused.

Efforts have been made to encourage the progression of the Kyuubi with methods of negative reinforcement through sparring (main participant ninja #012420), but #012607 remains unable to advance usage. Ability to activate use of Hiraishin kunai is also hindered due to seal additions too intricately made to remove for safety reasons.

Project has been deemed as a failure, and #012607 should be recycled into academy education; best team formation is likely to be under a future Team 7, or similar multiple, and should be considered in the formation of Genin teams upon graduation. It is proposed that #012607 be used assigned to a non-prominent clan male to ensure re-establishment of Longevity bloodline within Konohagakure.

Report conducted by Danzou Shimura and Koharu Utatane.'

_Jin... chu... riki? Jinchuriki? What was that? What did that mean? Frowning at the rest of the page, she glanced at a sticky note attached to the top right hand corner with a paper clip;_ Uzushiogakure/Uzumaki Clan Repression & Jinchuriki Retrieval.

_Uzushiogakure? She'd never heard of that village before, and she hadn't heard of the Uzumaki clan either... She came from a clan? If she did then where were they? And what did that Jinchuriki word mean? It didn't sound pleasant at all. She wanted to know, but at the same time she got the feeling she would be happier not knowing... She didn't understand all this, but she didn't like it..._

_There wasn't much else in the folder, but she remembered the names of her parents, and that Jinchuriki word. Replacing the folder very carefully, she opened another drawer; the security seal sucked up a lot of her chakra this time, waaaay more than the first drawer, but this was the big drawer, where all the secret stuff was._

_For secret stuff, the old man should probably get some better security on it though; did he think inside jobs were completely impossible or something? She could probably walk into the room with the forbidden scrolls in and no-one would be any the wiser..._

_Eventually she had the drawer open and was flicking through the files; she almost stopped at the file on the Uchiha Massacre, but decided to leave it till last, moving onto the folder that had been highlighted in her personal file. It wasn't much further along, and she soon had it out in front of her._

_It was hard to read, and a very thick file, but she stuck with it even in the dim light until things started to sound... Naruto's eyes widened even as she squinted at the words on the page._

_D-demon? A Jinchuriki had a demon inside them? But her file said she was a Jinchuriki...! Reading further her face began to darken with disbelief at what she was reading. _

_Konoha had... destroyed Uzushiogakure? But Konoha wouldn't... Why would they do that? She continued reading further, and felt icy sweat dripping down her neck as the full implications of the words on the paper. She felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes, but quickly scrunched them closed and pushed them back – the ANBU might smell her, and if she was caught now..._

_She didn't want to be caught by anyone form Konoha! Trembling with anger and disbelief she carried onto the end of the paper. There was another sticky-note at the bottom of it. It was talking about keeping the Jinchuriki – they didn't even bother using her name – from enemy hands; _Uchiha Massacre/Itachi Uchiha.

_Replacing the folder with trembling hands, she picked up the folder titled Uchiha Massacre and started reading that one; that one just made it worse. How could... What kind of village was this place? All those people... Most of them hadn't even been ninjas had they? That was... Sasuke wanted to kill his brother because of this place! _

_What kind of village was she living in? She replaced the folder back in the drawer, and closed it; she had to get out of this building before she was spotted or did something really, really stupid. Was it worth risking the ANBU outside noticing her and going through the window...?_

"_My, my... I came here looking for some scrolls, but it seems I've found a little mouse instead..."_

* * *

After darting away from him, Naruto focused her gaze out of the window, careful to stay out of sight of the ANBU watching Sasuke's apartment; they were bound to have noticed something was off, but they wouldn't come knocking on a noise alone.

Sasuke stood up with a little more wariness, one of his hands going to a set of the marks her Kyuubi nails had left on his wrists – they were even bleeding. Damn, she hadn't meant to do that, but she wouldn't take people standing in the way of what she wanted. Not even Sasuke.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that, but... look, it's not my place to tell you anything about him. It's not what..."

She bit her lip as a thought ran through her mind; it wasn't really a fair thing to do, but... Orochimaru wanted Sasuke by any means necessary right? She could afford to loose his help just yet, and if she didn't succeed, she'd loose some of it for certain... She'd hold the idea in reserve for now but. It would be her ace in the hole.

Sasuke pulled her back from the window by the arm, very quietly. His face was completely blank, but his eyes seemed to be reflecting more emotions than she could count; silently he sat down on the edge of his bed again, contemplating something as she tentatively followed suit and sat down beside him again.

"Let me see that again..." he mumbled, his hands on either side of her face, thumb and forefinger gently tugging at the skin around her eyes, trying to get a decent look at them.

The fear remained, but there was an odd fascination in his eyes. It confused her – he should be repulsed by it, just like everyone else shouldn't he? Even Kabuto turned his nose up at her when she used the Kyuubi chakra. Admittedly that was when she reached her third tailed transformation, but still...

This... he was so close to her, with that dark unwavering gaze on her eyes on her... Why was he looking at her like that? Why wouldn't he just scowl and look away like everyone else? She didn't want him to, she really didn't want him to, but it was better than waiting for it to happen...

His skin was cool on her cheeks and she could feel the contrasting warmth of his breath on her face; it was distracting. Very distracting. Damn, why did he have to be so close?

"That's why the adults here don't like you isn't it? Naruto, show me... " he repeated; his voice was as low and quiet as it had been the first time he asked, but she furrowed her eyebrows, breaking eye contact instead of as he asked.

Did he think she was an _idiot?_ She may have lost control a moment ago, but she wasn't going to let him see that side again so close up; he'd be able to feel the chakra itself this close, and that was as bad as the eyes, teeth, and nails. That was the really nasty part of it, and she didn't want him seeing it this close.

At a distance was fine, but not close up. Close up was for the people she killed; people were always disgusted, so she made sure it was the last thing they thought of her before they died. She didn't want to... she couldn't do that to Sasuke. Orochimaru wanted him after all...

"Naruto, it's not going to... I admit you're not the... You're really, _really_ different now, but if you think some stupid chakra is going to... I'm not one of the adults! Show me...!"

There was a short, but firm tug as he turned her face, forcing her eyes to meet his own once again; her head told her what it always did – he was ling, the sincerity in his eyes was just fake, he was just going to repulsed to, but he was so close that it was hard not to listen to him.

"No." she repeated, only putting a small amount of resistance in the word.

He frowned one, before repeating his earlier attempt to force the information out of her, pushing her back onto the duvet; there were two key differences this time. One – his hand didn't go anywhere near a kunai or a shuriken. Two – his lips were firmly pressed against hers.

She meet a feeble attempt to push him off, but... she didn't want to; she liked it. After removing the initial resistance, she pressed back, her hands going to his collar, tugging him closer. His tongue ran over her lower lip and she parted her own in eager response, grazing her tongue against his as it entered her mouth.

His had free reign over the skin of her stomach, gliding over it, her sides with one, the other worming to the back of her neck diminishing any gap between them. This was stupid, it was not what she was supposed to be doing, but... it felt so good, and she didn't want it to stop,

She knew what he was doing – he must have connected the dots with their last encounter and realised the Kyuubi chakra was easily brought out with different types of stress, or emotions. He knew that, so he was taking advantage of it but... She really really liked it, and she had a nagging suspicion it wasn't so much the _Kyuubi's_ influence as it was _Sasuke's._

Her fingers tangled in the spiky black hairs at the back of his neck as his fingers began fighting against the taught bandages across her chest; his tongue continued to brush against her own, barely allowing her enough air for breathing, and she felt the Kyuubi's chakra beginning to rise.

The rising animalistic hostility reminded her why she didn't want to let it out, and she shoved it back down; Sasuke retaliated by simply applying kissing her with more force; his hand was beneath the bandages now, but he seemed a little stumped as to what to do now that he had succeeded.

He ignored inexperience after a moment, and began to gently knead the skin of her breast – not that there was much there, but god, it really felt good. It felt a heck of a lot better than Kimimaro had made her feel, and it wasn't even below the belt.

She didn't know if it was the wary tease of her nipple between his thumb and finger, or the gentle bite on her neck that snapped her fragile control over her instinctual use of the Kyuubi's chakra, but she just couldn't concentrate any more; her skin felt on fire, her breath was short, and she just wanted more of it.

Demon chakra seeping into her coils, she grabbed his shoulders and twisted him beneath her before he even knew what had happened to him; she heard him start to say something, but cut him off as she glued her lips back on his, almost smashing her tongue up against his own.

She ran her hands over the skin beneath his shirt, feeling her nails sharpening through the kiss, hearing his gasp at the graze they left on his back; she wrestled his shirt over his head, moving from his lip over his jaw down his neck, to the hollow of his throat.

She nipped his skin, her tongue running over his skin as she moved down his chest, her fingers leaving harsh red trails as they moved down over him, swallowing the tiny droplets of red oozing from the scratches as she pressed her hips down against his own-

"Naruto!"

* * *

His voice brought her out of her Kyuubi enhanced gaze and she froze for a moment, before sitting up and quickly backing away from him, her back hitting the headboard; she was staring at her, but to her amazement, the disgust and repulsion she had been expecting... wasn't there.

He was stunned, confused, intrigued, and he even looked like he had enjoyed being roughed up like that, but he wasn't disgusted at all. What the hell? Was he an idiot? Well, no, he wasn't, but he shouldn't have enjoyed that! Couldn't he feel that disgusting chakra?

Couldn't he tell it was just waiting in the wings for a chance to break free and destroy everything in it's path? Consume everything, lap up his blood? She couldn't help it but she really did like the metallic iron taste... Orochimaru told her it was because the Kyuubi had been inside her form such a young age, but she couldn't do anything about it...

This was just the way she was, and she didn't like the fact that he had seen this side of her. She didn't want him to be disgusted with her, that was why she had hidden it, but now that he had lived up to his promises, she wanted him to be. It was the sensible thing to do, it was smart...

It was no longer running through her chakra coils, but it lingered in her features, and he slowly crawled up to her, taking her face in his hands and staring at her now-red, slitted eyes in deep fascination. Her heart was hammering against her ribcage again, but not from the build of lust this time. Just him. Just Sasuke.

Some of the scratches she had left were still bleeding, and his hair was almost beyond being tameable now, but he was knelt in front of her, fascinated by the bubbling desire for lust and blood that lingered in her eyes.

"...What _is_ it?" he asked again, his voice barley more than a murmur.

His fingers were warm against her heated skin, and the contact started another red spark across her cheeks; she closed her eyes in resignation and spoke calmly and quietly.

"It's the Kyuubi. My father sealed the Kyuubi inside me. I'm a Jinchuriki" she told him, opening her eyes, dimming back to their usual blue as her eyelids rose.

He didn't seem to understand the term in its full extent, but he understood the implications of it in terms of the Kyuubi attack twelve years ago. After a few moments he stared down at her stomach, noticing for the first time the faint markings of the seal.

There wasn't much of the Kyuubi chakra left in her coils, but there was enough to show a faint outline of the seal; his hands left her face, and then his he traced the faint outer trigram seals with one hand. Naruto was still as a statue, and her heart was pounding through the whole thing.

She'd had sex before, and that little tumble with Sasuke hadn't been totally innocent either, but somehow the action of tracing her seal was far more intimate than anything lust could come up with. He stopped, perhaps noticing her uncharacteristic unease, and turning back to stare at her unblinkingly.

"Is that the reason you left?" he asked plainly.

Naruto didn't reply; to answer that would mean getting into details and that was not what she wanted just yet; once she had him convinced, she'd tell him about it, and about his brother, but not yet.

"That's not for you to worry over right now. I'll tell you, but not now; that seal is an offer Sasuke. Nothing more. It's up to you if you want to take it up or not."

She leant forwards with her hands surrounded in green healing chakra, healing the scratches she had left behind in her haze; as she did so, she injected a little of her chakra into his blood stream. It wasn't much, just enough to make the seal easier for him to access with the seal on it. She couldn't remove the restriction, but... she could encourage it, help it break free.

He needed to feel that power again; she needed to concentrate on that for now. She'd deal with her own opinions once he was in Otogakure, but for the moment this was what she needed to concentrate on. The invasion would be starting tomorrow, and she wanted to enjoy it to the fullest.

She made the moves to stand up, leave somewhere she could calm herself down, only to be stopped by Sasuke; he pulled on her shoulder and turned her towards him with one hand, before drooping the same arm around her neck.

"You can stay here. It'll be hard to get past the ANBU after using that chakra right?"

He was right, but she couldn't help but smile at the obvious excuse, and the ease of which she played along with it.

* * *

Sasuke awoke on the day of the final round of the Chunin exams with Naruto beside him.

He found himself at a crossroads where she was concerned; a part of him wanted to find out more about this power that her _'Sensei'_ was offering, but a very large part was screaming that that even thinking about it was tantamount to betraying the village exactly like his brother, and like her.

She may not have been put on the Missing Ninja register, having never been registered as an official ninja of Konoha, but he was certain the council and the Hokage were making swift plans to get her on it all the same.

Having seen that... Having seen the part of her that was so closely intertwined with the Kyuubi the previous night, he couldn't help but wonder if she had justification for it. Her own father had sealed something like that inside her? He'd have been seriously pissed off it was him too, but he somehow knew that wasn't it. Not entirely.

There was also what she knew about his brother to consider; he definitely wanted to know about that, but Naruto was keeping that to herself; trying to force it out of her in a physical fight would be no good. Even if he did beat her (which he could grudgingly admit was unlikely at the present moment in time), she wouldn't tell him.

Sighing, he flopped back against the pillows trying to organise the chaotic whirl of thoughts in his head; after their... Uh... After that incident last night, they had just talked as if nothing had ever happened, like she was still a Konoha Genin.

Eventually, he had started getting sleepy, and she had followed his example; she had cast a glance in the sofa's direction after pulling off a few of her outer layers and her headband (she had taken off her leg bandages to the orange under-shorts beneath, but not the ones on her chest), but he had pointedly left half his bedsheets open.

It was a double bed, so what was the point in not using it? That was the response his mind gave him, but if he was honest he just wanted her there.

He had the feeling that he wouldn't get the chance to be so close to her again. Therefore, when he had woken up finding his arms splayed over her and his head buried in her neck. He had waited a few moments before letting his pride pull him away.

He turned his head towards her, watching her snore contentedly beside him; He didn't know where it came from, but he didn't doubt the feeling, and he was glad of it. He wouldn't have had the chance to see the normal side of her, the part that hadn't changed so much. It meant she was still her old self in some ways.

She looked so calm and peaceful sleeping like that; it was such a contrast from that fierce chakra she had displayed the night before. There had barley been enough for him to sense even under such close parameters, but it had set his hairs standing on end.

It was just... evil. That was the only word for it. He could sense the real mind behind that trace amount of chakra, sense the longing for blood, destruction, death. He could sense the viscous animal mind of the Kyuubi in it. Somehow, it had made kissing her all the more...

He didn't know what it was, but it had been better; he had only come to his senses when her nails had started digging into his skin, and that had taken quite a bit of doing. To his horror, he had found himself enjoying the rough treatment.

She had been hiding that side from him since arriving back in Konoha, and maybe before she left for a while. It wasn't everything, but it was a significant amount of honesty. She had opened up, and with any luck, she would continue to do so. He wanted to say he only wanted her to spill the beans on Itachi and whatever else she wasn't telling him, but he knew that wasn't all of it.

He just wanted her to, and he didn't know how he felt about that opinion; all of a sudden Naruto sat up, sniffing the air with a frown on her face. He was about to ask if she had been awake, but the grumpy expression told him something outside his notice had woken her.

Moments later there was the sound of footsteps encroaching on the door, before there was a soft knock; Naruto darted to the hinged side of the door, completely eradicating the presence of her chakra as he followed suit heading for the door.

The sight of Sakura on the other side of the door made him wish he had put on a t-shirt instead of answering in his usual sleep attire of just his boxers. Her cheeks immediately flushed, but then her eyes strayed to a bite mark on his neck that Naruto had missed.

He ignored the widening of her eyes, settling a firm cold gaze on her; she always got a little intimidated when he glared at her. Maybe it would scare her off.

"What do you want?" he asked bluntly.

She flinched at the harsh tone she was no longer flustered by the lack of clothing, and her eyes were fixed on his neck; she bit her lip for a moment, but wisely said nothing.

"K-Kakashi-sensei sent me to get you. He wants to go over a few more things at the training grounds before the exams start..." she replied, peering past him to the room beyond.

Indeed, she looked a little more dressed for fighting than she normally did; she still had her headband in it's usual spot, but that stupid red dress had been exchanged for a red shirt with her family crest on the sleeves, a dark black-green skirt, mesh leggings and a pair of gloves. Kakashi must have given her a talking to.

Naruto was statuesque behind the door, and he could feel the dangerous look in her unseen eyes. God, Sakura was really treading thin ice right now; he didn't know how close she had been to Naruto before, but... If Sakura kept hovering around he was certain something bad would happen.

He may not like her personally, but she was his team-mate, and she was a fellow Konoha ninja. Naruto was of more importance to him, but he didn't want her getting _killed._

"Fine."

He shut the door, and headed back into his flat; pulling his black bodysuit from the wardrobe; after pulling it on, he cast a glance in Naruto's direction. He couldn't tell what was going through her mind as she re-wrapped the bandages around her thighs, and proceeding to pull on her grey camouflage skirt.

She looked calm, but he knew her better than that. The slight twitch in the corner of her mouth could have been irritation... but he had as suspicion it was amusement.

He headed for the door again, hand reaching for the doorknob, only to be met by her hand on his wrist. She looked at him with those calm eyes, and reached up to kiss him; it wasn't harsh or animal like it had been the night before, but more like their first one, down by the dock. Calm. Plain... and pleasant.

"Remember what I told you Sasuke" she said quietly, too lowly for Sakura to overhear.

She pulled back behind the door again, and after a few seconds of silent contemplation he opened it; It was just in time. Sakura's hand was reaching out for the doorknob as he opened it. Taking great care to glare at her, he blocked the doorway as he closed it behind him.

He gave her cold look, before starting away from his flat in the direction of the training grounds. Sakura stared at the doorway again, before biting her lip once again, and following him with a last glance towards his door.

* * *

**_I know, update took a while this time; not only is the home computer up shit creek, the college ones have been on the fritz, so no-one in college could use the internet on them. To quote a drama buddy; _'Fuck my life...!'. **

**_Chunin exams next up, and Sakura's fight with Naruto; There's a little more SasuNaru too. I've determined that this story will be at least seventeen chapters long, since that's how many I have written. I thought I would have finished at that, but apparently I need to write a couple more to keep the flow the same. _*twitches irritably***

**_Hope you liked the chapter!_**  
**_Title is _'Dirty Little Secret' _by the All American Rejects._**

**_Nat.  
xxx_**


	8. Part I: Misery Buisness

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

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* * *

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**CHAPTER EIGHT**  
**- - MISERY BUSINESS - -**

* * *

_**'A true friend stabs you in the front' – Oscar Wilde.**_

* * *

Naruto stared up at the Kazekage sitting beside the Third Hokage with a blank expression; her gaze was silently returned, not that it would be noticeable with the other participants. They were looking up as the Hokage delivered the opening speech too.

At one end of the line, she could see Sakura sending her a look filled with mix suspicion, nervousness, and a great number of questions. Beside her, Sasuke seemed to be giving her words some contemplation; he wasn't even listening until the proctor started explaining the rules of the third stage.

Heading for the stairs, she found herself debating the invasion for the first time, not because of any lingering feelings towards Konoha, but some lingering feelings towards Sasuke. Somewhere along the line, she had turned this mission into something... personal.

She wanted him to take up the offer, not for Orochimaru's sake, but because she wanted him in sound with _her_. She had never expected an outcome like this. Was this why Orochimaru had chosen her for the job, to test her? Well, unfortunately for him, her own reasons for luring Sasuke away didn't mess up her own plans, and nor his, so if he thought she was going to show a weakness, he was sorely mistaken.

Temari and Shikamaru's fight was very surprising, and it made her wary. Shikamaru was a bright spark she hadn't been quite as careful around, and his own unrevealing gazes were far more worrying than Sakura's when he returned to the participant's viewing platform.

It was no help to her at all; Sasuke's match was starting, and she needed to concentrate, and form some more seals without being seen. He had a perfect opponent in the form of the chakra sucking Aburame boy, but unless those bugs got to him...

Naruto walked over to Temari, and started what appeared to be a casual conversation; it was a pre-arranged password word for Gaara and Kankuro to start a distraction of some kind. It worked perfectly; Shikamaru and the others became too distracted in trying to calm the two, seemingly fighting brothers down to notice her weaving a few quick hand signs halfway into Sasuke's fight.

* * *

Sasuke dodged a blow from Shino, flipping in the air and landing crouched down several meters away; Sharingan or no Sharingan, those bugs were a pain.

He had to doge them, but at the same time he needed to get close to Shino for his attacks to work; the boy had pulled out an unexpected water technique against his fire one, and one he had managed to land didn't seem to have affected the bugs at all. They were impervious to his fire techniques...

Physical attacks were his best option, as was the Chidori; if he could trick Shino into using one of his water techniques, he could use it to magnify his lightning element, but he would still have to be close up for that to work. Leaping towards him again, he dodged the waves of beetles, and actually succeeded in landing a punch on him this time.

Shino reacted pretty quickly, throwing up a punch towards his own that nearly caught him off guard; it was a pain not activating his third tomoe yet. He couldn't predict movements without it. Still, he wasn't completely off guard, and he managed to counter.

One thing he could see with the Sharingan was the tiny bugs, and when they started aiming for him; the problem with attacking Shino up close was that the bug could crawl directly onto his skin, and that was what they did. He had managed to avoid it for the last few encounters, but one blow from Shino managed to sneak past his quick attacks.

The evil little insects blasted forward, biting at his skin in increasing numbers; he tried infusing his whole network with fire natured chakra – just enough to put them off as he batted away at them, but they really were resistant. He switched to lightning as his supply of chakra dwindled.

Damn bugs! They were numerous, and impervious to chakra natures,and even seemed to have defence against actual natured techniques; he should have mad his stupid teacher teach him more at defending against the Aburame clan rather than Naruto! He wasn't in danger from Naruto!

_'Remember what I told you Sasuke.'_

Remember what she told him? What did she mean by that? Why was he remembering that now? All she had told him about was Orochimaru's cursed seal and the Kyuubi! What good was that going to do him when his chakra was being sucked...

Wait a minuet... His chakra had been different when had used the seal in the second stage hadn't it? But Kakashi had put that stupid restriction seal on him! Would he even be able to use it? The chakra had certainly felt good, but if Naruto had stopped him like that, it had to be nasty right?

She had given him it, and she had reacted pretty badly after all – it was his best bet of getting rid of the bugs though, so usable or not, he had to try. He didn't really know how to bring it up, so he just tried concentrating on it; the burning of the mark told him he was doing the right thing, but there was that stupid restriction holding it back!

Kakashi said it worked in his will power, but he had the distinct feeling that was a lie; nice to know how much faith they had in him. He kept concentrating, feeling his chakra slipping away from him by the second. Finally, something seemed to break the restriction seal enough to let the seal break through.

It didn't come from him though; it had to be Naruto, and he couldn't thank her enough when the overwhelming sense of power flooded his coils, his senses, close to filling his mind. There was so much of it. Raw, and untamed, but if he could just get control of it then...

He forgot everything else as he lunged towards Shino, completely free from bugs. It was only when he had a kunai pressed against the boy's throat that he allowed himself to push the seal back into confinement.

* * *

Naruto was waiting for him as he started upon the stairs, seated in the middle of the third flight looking a little chakra depleted and irritated. He stopped a few steps below her, meeting her eye level, and she returned the steady gaze with one of her own until he asked his question.

"You said that this seal is incomplete... What's the finished version?" he asked, his hand going to the tingling mark on his shoulder.

Oddly, despite the sting from breaking through the seal, it didn't ache like he had been expecting it to. It actual felt good to let it out all by itself. More controllable. Naruto frowned, trying to think of an explanation.

"There's a second level to it; I can't really explain it very well. Your appearance will change, but it's different for everyone so..."

He frowned at her explanation; that wasn't exactly the answer he had been looking for, but it appeared that Naruto was still trying to think of a decent explanation. She was biting her thumbnail, and she only did that when she was seriously stuck for words.

"I've never gone through the process itself, so I can't explain it, but... what I can do with the Kyuubi is very similar..." she replied, and his interest perked up.

She turned her gaze back to him once again, and he noted that her eyes had turned red. He could feel the vast quantity of chakra bubbling beneath her skin, but then it began to cover her skin, not thickly, but enough for the instinct of flight to rise in him.

It felt far worse than that he had witnessed the night before, but he could feel the raw power in it. The raw strength mixed into the killer instinct and aura of pure destruction it emitted.

"Usually, I get a tail of it too, and the number of them increases the more I let into my system, but if I use any more someone'll come nosing. I shouldn't have used that... The cursed seal is a little stronger than that when you first use it, but it gets bigger if you know how to use it right..." she informed him, the chakra disappearing as quickly as it had appeared.

The second half of the cursed seal was stronger than that? He could have access to a power like that? A part of him wanted to accept the offer right there and then, but another part, smaller, but still quite loud, objected; leaving the village for that and giving up his own body in return was a price too large. Too much like Itachi...

"There's more than that though; Orochimaru is a genius. Bit obsessed with snakes and a manipulative git, but he's one of the best teachers you'll get. Illusions, techniques, physical combat... He's got pretty much everything in the highest level, or people who can pick up his slack..."

She hopped to her feet and turned away from him heading up the stairs; he heard her words, but he couldn't be blamed for having some strong reservations on hearing them.

Betraying his village for power sounded very much like something his brother would do; in fact, Itachi had told him so that horrible night when the clan had been killed. He didn't want to do the same thing he had, but... he still needed power to kill him.

He had it right under his nose too, but the internal conflict was huge. Naruto was asking him to become a traitor, to abandon Konoha. That wasn't a small thing to do on a whim... He was so distracted by what he had heard and what his conscience was telling him to do that he didn't notice Naruto had turned around until she had kissed him again.

His surprise was momentary, before he started to kiss her back, taking another step up, to get a bit more hight over her, his had going to the small of her back and pulling her toward him as she ran her tongue over his lips. His own slipped out, brushing hers as he probed between her lips.

This was... this was another reason in favour of abandoning Konoha for Otogakure; he wouldn't say he didn't have friends in Konoha. Sai was a friend, albeit a weird one, and he could sort of include Sakura when she wasn't being all freaky-fangirl, but... they weren't Naruto.

She was the one who understood him; he'd told her of his goal once before, a few weeks before she had left, and she hadn't batted an eyelid. Everyone else, especially the adults, had frowned when the topic was brought up. They had discouraged him. Naruto didn't say a thing.

Heck, she was offering him what he needed to to just that! That wasn't the reason for the lure she held though. He couldn't lie about it – he was... _attatched_ to her. Very much so. He knew that when she left after the exams were over, he was going to be very... irritated by her abscence.

If she didn't so obviously hate Konoha and the ground it grew from, he would have considered persuading her to come back instead. He knew that wasn't going to happen though. There was another reason she was here, and it had nothing to do with love for her old village. It was something to do with what she wanted, not Orochimaru's desires, but what?

The kiss ended sooner than her would have liked, but she didn't pull away; leaning her body closer she put her lips to his ear and gave a soft murmur of enticement – he couldn't think of any other word for it. None of her other offers had the same lure in them.

"There are other people who'll help you too..."

She didn't mean other people at all. She meant her own assistance. That was more appealing than everything she had mentioned put together. He didn't know about this Orochimaru guy, he had his own agenda, but Naruto meant what she said. She had her own aims too, but he was pretty certain they didn't involve possessing his body.

She started to turn away, and was halfway back up the stairs, when she turned on her heels and said something else that left him frozen long after the shadow clone had disappeared in a puff of smoke, and Hinata and Kankuro appeared for their own match.

"Konoha isn't just holding you back Sasuke, this village is well practised with lies, and it's lying to you. You come to Otogakure, and you'll find out what they are..."

She didn't mention Itachi at all, but he knew that was who she was talking about, and the possibility that there was more to his brother's actions than he knew of was very hard to ignore.

* * *

Sakura frowned as Sasuke came back up the stairs; Shino had been taken to the medics after almost half of his bug colony had been eradicated by the cursed seal's chakra.

She wanted to think that Sasuke had not used it willingly, but he had really been cornered, and she knew he had used it of his own accord. She knew Naruto had somehow meddled with the seal in order to let him do so too. She was certain she had been at his flat this morning...

No, she knew she had been. She had seen her shirt on the floor through Sasuke's doorway, and the obstinate secrecy he had been exuding was telling in and of itself. It stung to know that he liked Naruto the way she wanted him to like her, but the more worrying matter was that he _did_ like her.

Maybe Sasuke didn't see that clearly yet, but that was what Kakashi-sensei had meant when he said Naruto was dangerous for him. Naruto wouldn't kill him – Orochimaru wanted him. She wouldn't kill him, but she would use everything in her possession to lure him away, towards the power that mark offered.

She knew exactly how to do it, and she knew how to avoid being caught; Sakura had told Kakashi-sensei (out of Sasuke's earshot) of her suspicions and he already knew, but he couldn't do anything. Naruto had spent the night with him, but she was a foreign ninja now. Otogakure was a new village, but they still demanded the same courtesies that the other villages did in these exams.

Konoha couldn't touch her until she made a blatant move against them, and no-one had any evidence of it. If asked, she'd say she was staying with an old friend while she could, and if Sasuke vouched for her (which he would), they couldn't do a thing. If it had been any other time, it wouldn't have mattered in the slightest, but this was the Chunin exams, and there were international laws surrounding them that made it impossible without strong proof.

Sakura glanced towards Naruto, who was standing at the other end of the balcony rooting for that puppeteer Sunagakure Genin as he and Hinata fought in the arena below them; she didn't understand how her best friend could have changed so much. She didn't understand how she could have just left like that, letting her think she had died.

Naruto had loved Konoha, but now she... She had killed that Genin so easily yesterday, and it scared her. Sakura knew there was a good reason – Naruto would only change like she had for a very good reason – but she couldn't think what it could be.

The only thing that didn't seem to have change was her strange relationship with Sasuke; when she had burst out of the trees and stopped him in the middle of the forest, it had been one of the first honest thing she had seen her do. Naruto had organised this on Orochimaru's behalf, she probably still was, but she...

Sakura hadn't even known the two were friends, but it must have been important enough to have progressed to... to have evolved into the feelings of her own in such a short space of time. Especially to Sasuke. Naruto had been even more desperate to stop him than she had been, despite being the one who had landed him in the position in the first place.

It made the pending fight with Naruto all the harder for her to stomach; Naruto was a subvert enemy ninja, she was a danger, but... the Naruto she knew was still in there. She was well hidden, and very tied in with Sasuke, but the first person who hadn't cared about her giant forehead was still there.

Kankuro was knocked out below them, Hinata getting a roar of approval for her victory over the Sunagakure Genin, and Sakura turned back to glance at Naruto's face; there was nothing wrong with the friendly grin on her face as she approached, but it chilled her to the bone.

* * *

Naruto linked arms with Sakura, tugging her arm as she had when they were seven years old with a cheerful grin on her face, but as they headed down the stair, Sakura felt the hairs at the back of her neck rising.

She just wished she knew what from; Fear? Nerves? Anger at what she was doing to Sasuke? Or anger at the personal betrayal from the girl? The desire for answers was overwhelming, enough to make her stop just before heading through the exit into the arena.

"Why are you doing this him?" she asked quietly, unlinking her arm and stepping a couple of steps away from the blonde.

Naruto arched an eyebrow at the question, turning midway towards the exit; this was nerve-racking.

She didn't know how she was supposed to fight Naruto. This wasn't like with Ino, who she had _wanted_ to beat. Naruto was just like her in that no-one had liked them very much; before her friendship with Ino, Naruto had been the one to draw her out of her shell, and the one to send her back inside it when she _'died'._

There was also the radical difference in their strength; she and Ino were evenly matched before the second exam, but the strength she had been working on with Kakashi she had only picked up after Naruto mentioned learning it by trial and error. She had other techniques now too, and she was probably fast enough to keep up with what Naruto had displayed during the preliminaries but...

She knew that Naruto had a _lot_ more strength. It was very likely that she would not be able to beat her, but she couldn't just give up; she was her enemy, no, the enemy that was poisoning her team-mate. She couldn't just... not try to beat her. She couldn't, but she needed another reason to fight her old friend seriously.

Naruto stared at her for a moment, before letting some of her real personality show through in a triumphant smirk.

"I'm not doing anything to Sasuke. Nothing he doesn't _want_ at any rate..." she replied.

It was a double blow; Sakura knew Sasuke wanted power to kill his brother, and she knew he was attracted to Naruto. The smug look on Naruto's face was horrible, and it was nothing like the person she remembered, but she knew that she was still alive somewhere too.

"That's not what you want to ask though, is it?"

Sakura ground her teeth together in an attempt to keep from answering, but it wasn't something she could help; she did have a different question, and she wanted an answer to it.

"Why did you just... disappear? You were my best friend Naruto! I don't understand why you would leave...! Why you would do all this to us...? I don't understand it..." she relied, her head sinking a little as she spoke the words.

Naruto was silent for a long moment, and daring to look her in the eye again, Sakura saw the old Naruto on her friend's face for a few brief moments. She saw the part that didn't like whatever she was planning rising to the surface before the new Naruto stomped her back down again.

"I left... because Konoha betrayed me Sakura; I couldn't live here after that." was her short blunt reply.

Confusion reigned in Sakura as Naruto started heading for the arena; Konoha had betrayed her? How? What had they done to her? She knew people didn't like her but to actually get Naruto to say they had betrayed her... That wasn't just those nasty looks. Naruto had just given them what she got with pranks for the glares...

To her surprise Naruto stopped before passing out into the arena completely, and glanced over her shoulder looking like the changes she knew were there had never occurred at all.

"...I guess _you_ didn't though, and you have my thanks for that" she said quietly.

Then she turned he back and headed out into the arena; Sakura clenched her fingers as her eyes began to leak. In spite of the tears Naruto had just given her the reason to fight her that she needed, and she couldn't be more grateful.

Whatever happened, she'd would fight as best she could, not as an enemy, but on her own standards. Whatever happened, she wouldn't have any regrets on her best friend. Wiping the salty drops off her face, Sakura's expression hardened and she headed out into the arena.

* * *

"Begin!"

Sakura sprang forward with more speed than Naruto had been expecting, quite a lot more. Kakashi had really put her through her paces. She might even be a little trouble if she could keep it up. She whirled out of the aim of Sakura's punch, spinning round behind her as a large crack appeared in the earth she had just been standing on.

Sakura really had worked her ass of this past month – her use of Tsunade's strength technique was much better than it had been before; Naruto responded to the blows Sakura aimed towards her with quick jerks, spinning out of the way before sending her own fisted, chakraless, blow towards Sakura.

The pink haired girl smirked before disappearing in a puff of smoke, and Naruto's eyes widened. When had she made a clone? She glanced around the arena, searching for any possible attacks with her ears and nose as well as her eyes – they were a bit more reliable thanks to the Kyuubi.

Nothing... Why couldn't she hear anything? She was completely unprepared for the harsh uppercut that came from directly underneath the earth, and was sent flying towards the wall. Moment before crashing, she shook of the daze, flipped in the air and fixed to the wall with her chakra.

Oh, she was going to hunt Kakashi down herself for this! She had hidden beneath the earth, lowered her chakra as low as she could to mingle in with that already there! Normally she would have noticed that but... Sakura's chakra control was phenomenal. Kakashi had capitalised on her Haruno heritage, and gotten some good results.

She kicked of from the wall, darting round behind the pink-haired girl and aiming for her head with her foot; Sakura blocked the blow, and Naruto aimed for her open side with one fist, forcing her to let go in order to dodge the blow. She kept up the blows, trying to get a decent hit on Sakura, but her defence was as quick as her attacks.

God, she would not be beaten in front of Orochimaru! Not by Sakura! She'd never live it down; it wouldn't be long till the invasion started now, and she was determined to beat her before then. She could afford to bring out one of her bigger guns...

She managed to send in one last blow towards Sakura, and sent her back a few meters until she regained her footing; using her momentary distraction she began to weave several hand signs, and slammed her hands down onto the earth with a bloody thumb.

There was a puff of smoke and a salamander several sizes bigger than a large dog appeared in front of her; it had glistening black skin with a few patches of red and a red belly – those were his poison glands. Sakura's eyes narrowed as a rushing murmur went through the crowd, and she started darting forwards once again.

"Hisho, I need some sparks. I'll send you some worms along later today..." she informed the amphibian, weaving several hand signs as she focused on forming her wind natured chakra.

The animal scowled but nodded all the same, taking a deep breath; that was the problem with Salamanders, you had to beat them into submission before they would listen to the summoner. She had almost killed herself beating the boss summon, but she had managed it somehow.

Unfortunately that didn't mean they had to like listening to her – Hisho wasn't too bad though. Dare she say it, he was almost friendly in comparison to the other summons. She finished her own hand signs and let out a loud yell, blasting her gathered chakra through her voice into the air and towards Sakura.

"Uzumaki Secret Technique; Art of the Coral Winds!"

The air began to blast and twist, clawing small chunks from the earth and the sides of the arena as it headed towards Sakura in time to the blast of fire from the salamander beside her; the technique had been inspired by the winds surrounding her mother's home village, strong enough to rip chunks from the coral islands the village had been situated on.

Bludgeoning was as big a danger as the winds them selves; she waited until the smoke and flames had died away; she couldn't afford to be too cautious given that Sakura had actually kept up with her speed. She didn't know if she should congratulate the girl or swear when she saw the singed earthy armour falling away from Sakura's body.

Most people wouldn't have managed to learn enough control over their first element in a month, but once again Sakura's control had worked to her advantage; Kakashi must have had her doing control drills to heighten it before introducing her to elemental manipulation. Her reserves would have increased too...

"I have one more question for you..." Sakura called out; the exhaustion was clear in her voice, and her form wasn't quite as clean cut as it was before, but she was still standing.

"Ask away" she replied – her own breathing was a little laboured, but that was just from the activity – she wasn't anywhere near exhausted yet.

"If this is... if doing this to Sasuke so abhorrent to you then why continue? I know that some part of you hates this, this... so why?"

The question had her thrown for a few moments; she knew her little display in the forest had been odd, but how had she... Sakura couldn't mean that one display! How did she know that she was feeling... conflicted? Sakura didn't move, waiting for the question to be answered.

Naruto mumbled a dismissal to her summons, straightening after expending so much chakra into her wind technique and facing Sakura head on.

"Because... it's necessary. For me and for him. And as for the fighting... Konoha's done too much for me to let it go that easily..." she replied.

She threw a few shuriken in rapid succession towards Sakura, before leaping up into the air, weaving hand signs as Sakura emerged from the ground below her again. She had a lock on her chakra now - she wouldn't fall for the same trick again.

"That and I have no intention of loosing to you when I have a point to make to him!" she grinned as she started falling back towards the earth.

Sakura started for a moment, then a grin covered her face and she started forming her own hand signs. Naruto gathered her wind chakra once again, sending it spiralling downwards as Sakura released her own in the opposite, conflicting direction.

"Earth Style; Art of Stone Spikes!"  
"Wind Style; Art of Cyclone Blades!"

Sakura formed more hand signs, pulling her earthy armour over her skin once again as her spikes shot upwards to wards Naruto; the air around them blasted with short, fierce, sharp, swirling currents that left numerous tiny gashes in the pillars, the earth below and the sides of the arena as Naruto crashed back down to the earth, clutching a nasty gash on her side.

Her hand began to glow green, speeding the Kyuubi's work as she healed, but it was taking some serious chakra, and after that last attack, she should start to be more conservative. It wasn't her most destructive technique, but it took a lot of chakra – she had to form very sharp, very short gales over an extended period for it to work, and that meant using a good deal of chakra.

She had landed against one of the spikes, and it had acted like that fishy guys sword, flaking into sharp point and tearing into her skin; she'd kill Kakashi for teaching Sakura that technique! She'd enjoy it too! Kudos to Sakura for pulling it out though. She really had improved.

Once she had healed enough to mange her next attack, she darted towards Sakura; the girl exploded into a cloud of dust as her fist impacted on the earth clone, and Naruto turned towards one of the stone spikes protruding into the air, and crashed her fist into it.

Sakura burst forward, avoiding a crushing blow from her opponent, and started another barrage of her fists, aiming for Naruto's injured side. Naruto didn't consider it cheating at all – she would do just the same thing. She met the flurry of punches and kicks with blocks and attacks of her own, and eventually found the opening she needed.

Sakura's foot crashed into her gut, and use used the momentum as she fell backwards to her advantage; she seized hold of Sakura's wrists and pulled her over her head, sending a kick of her own into her stomach. Sakura was sent crashing to the dirt a few meters away.

Pulling herself to her feet; Naruto couldn't help but match the grin on Sakura's face as she felt the fluctuation of the Kyuubi's chakra amongst her own. Looking up, feathers began to float down into the stadium, and the grin on her face was tainted by the slow prominence of her canines over her lips and the darkening red of her eyes.

The invasion had finally begun.

* * *

**_Yay, update - I'm having a major update-a-thon right now. As promised, the invasion has started - there will be one chapter on it, and then things witll start getting a little darker, no thanks to Naruto and her nasty twisty plans for Sasuke. Sasuke is still resisting the cursed seal right now, but he is looking at the problem from all sides right now, and isn't being rash as such. That and he is very abhorrent to anything that would make him like Itachi. He has acknowledged that Naruto herself has a huge influence over him though, so that's some progress._**

**_Naruto and Sakura have had a big part in this chapter, and Sakura has improved charecterwise a little; I gave her a big boost, but she needed it. Naruto hasn't gone all out on her, simply because she didn't want to give anything away just yet for the invasion. Sakura is going to have a big role in this story, especially if I continue to shippuden, so that will show up next chapter too._**

**_I'm actually quite interested to know what you think of her in this, since I'm aware that many hate Sakura with the passion of a thousand suns._**  
**_Title is _'Misery Buisness'_ by Paramore - I couldn't help it. It fits the NaruSaku fight so well..._**

**_Hope you all liked!_**  
**_Nat._**  
**_xxx_**


	9. Part I: Dance With The Devil

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

**

* * *

**

CHAPTER NINE  
- - DANCE WITH THE DEVIL - -

* * *

_**'Love is the child of illusion and the parent of disillusion' – Miguel de Unamuno.**_

* * *

Sakura quickly dispelled the illusion as she struggled to pull herself onto her knees; that punch from Naruto hadn't been one that blasted chakra into her, but it had sapped her of it; the physical strength was all her own!

Had she been using it at all throughout the match? It was a staggering thought, but her concern was on the illusion; this was not of Naruto's doing – Naruto's chakra wasn't the one being exuded all over the stadium. Struggling to her feet, she could see that all the people in the stands had fallen asleep.

Moments later, the chaos started as some of the ninja in the stands started attacking others – what was going on? She jerked her head around, searching for Naruto, only to be interrupted as one of the Ninjas jumped down from the stands, kunai raised towards her.

She rolled out of the way on instinct; her chakra was completely gone, and with her energy gone, she could barely keep up with him. The kunai was brought down towards her and–

Her eyes widened when a fist was rammed into his face; there was a sick crack as his skull broke, but horrified as she was at the sight, she was too relived to care. Glancing at the savior, she was greeted with Naruto's red-eyed face. How could she have missed her? That chakra that seeped off of her was... it was awful.

"I _told_ those idiots not to... Don't they have _ears?_"

Naruto muttered to herself for a moment, then turned towards her; a thousand questions were running through her mind, but the more pressing factor was that Otogakure ninja were attacking the Konoha Ninja in the stands. The village. Otogakure was attacking Konoha...

Naruto was attacking them, or she looked like she would be, but... She had just saved her life...! What on earth was she doing? Had she pulled out of it? Was she siding with Konoha again?

"Don't make the mistake in thinking I've switched my position Sakura..."

The force of Naruto's red-eyed glare was enough for her to see... It was like a flash of terror. It wasn't just killer intent, the bloody images of a battlefield were actual memories, old memories, and it was like a monstrous creature was roaring in her ears.

"I could kill you right now and it wouldn't bother me, but you were my best friend once, so I'm giving you this freebie. I get the feeling you'll be useful to me later on, so try not to get yourself killed by one of these _idiots_..."

It had her frozen; in spite of her improvement over the past month, the images, the illusionary sound, and the feel of the chakra that Naruto was giving off was enough to leave her frozen on the ground even after Naruto had disappeared towards the rooftops.

To her astonishment, she found that the terror that had been induced from that one look had even halted her breath, and she was still breathing in long gulps of air as Sasuke and Sai landed beside her.

"Sakura, are you alright?" Sai asked.

She nodded, struggling to find her voice for a moment, before her gaze crossed to Sasuke's; she could tell that there was at the least an inkling of worry there but he wanted to follow Naruto. Normally she would object strongly, but in the middle of an attack from a foreign village, the blame was pointed squarely at Naruto. Or some of it was.

"It... It was that chakra... It... She drained my chakra with that last punch so... What's happening? Why is Oto attacking us?" she asked, directing the question towards Sasuke.

She hated admitting it, but if there was anyone who would know why Otogakure was attacking, it was most likely to be him. Naruto had spent the night in his flat right? He may be acting very stupid, but he was bound to have asked her something useful...

"It's not just Oto... Sunagakure is attacking us too." Sai informed her, giving Sasuke a suspicious look as he handed her a selection of hyorogan pellets; consuming them, she felt her strength gradually coming back to her.

Sasuke said nothing, there was a contemplative expression on his face. He glanced in the direction Naruto had disappeared in once again, before turning his back with a frown.

"Sasuke... did she tell you anything last night? She must have said something..." she asked, getting to her feet; his eyes glanced towards her once before turning back to the earth in their contemplation.

"What? You _saw _her last night?" Sai asked, his eyes widening with a bit more surprise than was perhaps necessary.

"She was still there this morning – look, I'm not going to jump down your throat Sasuke, I _get it_ okay? I really _do!_ But if she told you anything about this then you have to say so this time!" she pleaded, meaning every word she said.

Sai watched them both with a wary gaze, waiting for a response from the silent boy or another outburst from Sakura; eventually Sasuke sighed in resignation, exhausting the train of his thought.

"I don't know... I just wanted to know what this... this thing on my neck was. I didn't think... I know that she has some good reasons for leaving, _really_ good ones, and that she _hates _Konoha now but... I don't know what she's after here..."

Sai's eyes widened, and he looked as if he was about to start a lecture of his own for a moment, but she held a hand up and stopped him, her eyes still on Sasuke's own; he was running a frustrated hand through his hair, and she couldn't help but sympathise.

"Now's not the time Sai! We have to help the village right-"

A huge explosion on one of the roofs above the stadium seats sent shock-waves through the earth, shrieking their grip on the earth; she would have fallen if it wasn't for Sai's quick catch steadying her on her still shaky feet. Moments later, there was a horrible animal roar from the other side of the village.

"What on earth is going on out there...?" she asked anyone who could answer her, getting back to standing by herself after a smile of thanks to Sai.

"That red-haired Sunagakure boy is transforming into his demon I'd imagine" came Kakashi's voice.

The three of them whirled around to stare at the figure behind them; there was a small tear on his mask, his Sharingan was on full view, and his vest was splattered with blood, but none of it seemed to be his. Beside him stood a grumpy-looking Shikamaru and a small dog that Sakura immediately recognised as Pakkun.

"You are the only Genin nearby who were able to break out of the illusion, and the other Ninjas are focussed on the mass of troops coming in from the north and south – gather anyone you can along the way, but I'm entrusting you with the duty of stopping him..." Kakashi informed them.

Sakura didn't like the sound of that too much, but she couldn't argue with the man; with most of the forces on the ninjas trying to enter the village, there wouldn't be very many wandering around to deal with him. A good deal of them had been taken out by the illusion, and the rest would be busy with the evacuation...

They didn't have a choice; glancing at her teacher, she caught the suspicious gaze in Sasuke's direction, and she wondered if Kakashi had other motives in sending them off to fight Gaara. She turned her eyes in the direction of the first explosion up on the roof.

"What going on up there?" she asked.  
Kakashi glanced at her once, then sighed.

"Hokage-sama is fighting Orochimaru; he took the place of the Kazekage. Hurry up and get going before that boy destroys half of the village..." Kakashi replied, gesturing towards the village beyond the high walls of the arena.

Sasuke's gaze, which had snapped in the direction indicated at the mention of Orochimaru's name, was much more reluctant to leave the roof than it should have been. It wasn't until she had tugged his arm and indicated he was to follow herself and Sai that he turned away from the building.

* * *

Getting into the Hokage tower was easier than she had thought; everyone was running around like mad things, so they hadn't noticed her sneaking in at all, and she had sneaked into the scroll vault without any incident.

As she hacked into the seals that kept the scrolls locked up, her thoughts trailed back to Sakura for a moment; she decided she had done the right thing by letting her live. She had a notion that she would be useful in the future, and those were usually right.

She supposed she was a little relived at not killing her too. They had been friends after all, and good ones at that. She probably wouldn't have liked it if she had killed Sakura. Her main reason was still her sense of usefullness though!

It didn't take her long to unlock the family scrolls that had been stolen from Uzushiogakure , but sealing them all away had taken at least half an hour; there was quite a lot of them, but that wasn't surprising considering they came from over over five clans, despite the larger part being Uzumaki scrolls.

One that stuck out at her though was a collection of scrolls with a white circle imprinted on the end of the wooden holders; once again, her intuition hadn't failed her. Thank the _gods_ she hadn't killed Sakura. She'd investigate that later though.

After sealing the scrolls that belonged to her family and the others that had been stolen, she started looking for her father's scroll; he was bound to have written one, all the Hokages had to write one as part of the official initiation for use after their death, so the techniques would be preserved.

Eventually she found it – there weren't that many techniques techniques, but he hadn't exactly had much time to come up with them; the Rasengan and the Hiraishin were the main ones, but there was a nice sounding illusion, and some notes on his time-space techniques and the fighting style appropriated to the speed he was known for.

That was sealed away in a storage scroll too; after collecting the scrolls she had came in for, she ventured into the office again, and began searching for the files that had shattered her beliefs in Konoha five years ago.

She wanted her own because she was certain there would be more information in there on the village itself (of which even Orochimaru knew little), and the Uchiha file...

She needed solid collateral if she was going to get Sasuke away from Konoha after this; he wouldn't be nearly so trusting of her, even if he was being drawn in by the promise of power. This file though, this would be enough to hook him. As soon as he saw the Hokage's official seal, he'd do anything to get his hands on it. Especially if she twisted him a little first.

The files had been moved though, so it took much longer to find them than it had the first tome she had broken into this office; by the time she had sealed them away, replaced them with her fakes, and was in the process of sealing up the scroll, Anko Mitarashi had appeared in the doorway with a host of Chunin behind her.

"So this is where you were! I don't know what you're after, but you'll spill every little bit of it in the interrogation rooms, and then I'll make you reveal everything you know about Orochimaru too!" she snarled.

Naruto snorted in disbelief at that; good luck trying. Even if they did catch her, she wouldn't feel anything. All she had to do was blast some Kyuubi chakra into her pain receptors, and she'd be cold numb for at least three days. Kabuto had come up with the idea after one near miss with Itachi and Fishy.

A pair of snakes darting out towards her from Anko's hands, and she waved through them, and then a second pair were sent hurtling towards her; she recognised one of the types, and let it bite her just for the sheer amusement of the disbelief on the woman's face shown she didn't drop dead.

"You seem to forget that Sensei has given me more training than you; the Kyuubi heals me, and since I've been exposed to most fatal poisons, I've got amplified antibodies to them. Now, did you want to play some more, Anko-sempai?" she smiled.

Anko's eyes widened as Naruto's into a maliciously smug smirk, and the Kyuubi's chakra began to surround her; this was going to be sooo much fun.

* * *

Sasuke watched his shadow clone leaving with Sakura, before heading out towards the direction Naruto had left in.

It was a good thing he had learned the technique outside of Kakashi's knowledge, but god, that had taken nearly half of his chakra. Kakashi still seemed to have noticed something off about him, and he wished he knew what had been discussed, but he couldn't afford to worry about that right now.

He had to find Naruto; she was the only one who could give him any logical answers right now. It wasn't that he wouldn't hesitate to fight any Oto or Suna Genin that crossed his path to defend Konoha, but that wouldn't give him any answers, and he very much wanted answers right now.

He didn't know what Naruto was aiming for, why she hated Konoha so much, what she knew about Itachi... There was so much that he didn't know, and he was certain it was information that he needed to know in order to make the right decision.

Hurrying through the streets, he didn't even know where he was heading, but Naruto had started out in a pretty direct course, so his best bet was to go that way and see if he couldn't pick up on her chakra before searching the rest of the village.

The Hokage tower came into view, and he immediately knew where he would find Naruto, but before he could head towards it, a Otogakure ninja burst out in front of him; what caught his attention were the marks marring his skin. It wasn't the same as his cursed seal, but it was similar enough for him to know it was the same basic thing.

The man didn't wast any time in attacking him, hurling kunai and shuriken towards him; he managed to block a few of them, then caught sight of the thin strings heading past him, barley visible in the sunlight. He ducked down to dodge the weapons coming up behind him, grabbing the strings in his mouth, making a few hand signs and running some fire back along the wires.

The ninja was hit by the flames before he could drop the wires, but instead of being consumed by them... they were consumed; Sasuke's eyes widened as the burning man let the marks on his skin spread out and darken, turning his whole body and ugly brown.

His toes poking from his sandals turned into clawed, three digit appendages, his back elongated and... he even grew a lizard like tail; as the transformation completed, he actually licked the flames off of his skin. It was grotesque, it was horrible, but he could sense the sheer power rolling off the man.

Compared to his own it was... Free sample didn't even cover the tiny amount of power his mark provided him with. The man – or lizard as he nearly was now, his face and teeth had morphed into a horrible snout and a reptilian tongue flicked through the sharp points in his jaw – lunged towards him.

He was just barley fast enough for his still undeveloped eyes to keep up with, but Sasuke didn't have the personal speed necessary to keep up with him, and the first punch that landed on him sent him crashing into one of the ruined building littering the street.

* * *

Sakura swallowed another hyorogan, and then gathered her chakra back into her fists and darted for the earth beneath the half-transformed Genin.

She and Sai had been left by themselves after that clone of Sasuke had been destroyed by one hit from the Suna boy, and she was on her last legs, but they were close now. Sai was keeping him distracted enough for her to attack him from the rear.

Shikamaru had fallen behind them to keep some Otogakure ninjas occupied, and Kiba had run into them as they passed the hospital. He was fighting that puppet boy Hinata had been fighting. She hoped they would hurry and join them if they could.

The chakra this boy was exuding in his half transformed state... it was exactly the same as Naruto's. He had blasted some of it towards her, and though it had only skimmed her arm, it had been like a gnaw on her skin for some time. Instead of the scratch it should have been, there was gong to be an ugly scar on her arm once it healed.

She filled her fists with chakra, and sent some into the exploding kunai in her hand, hurling it towards the only weak spot they could properly take advantage of – the spot beneath his tail. He gave a howl of fury as it explode, angling his sand towards her with one fist.

The sandy fist that hurtled towards her, sent her crashing into one of the tree trunks, and she fell to the ground. Moments later Sai joined her, looking just as battered bruised and chakra depleted as she was; every drop of the chakra in her was from the hyorogan pellets. She had no doubt they were actually keeping her alive at the moment.

She felt a rise in the boys chakra, a rapid rise and she didn't have to look at him to know what was happening – she just knew they couldn't run. Not only had they been tasked with taking care of this guy, but they just didn't have the capabilities of running any more.

Sakura was on the verge of bracing herself for death, and then a giant toad fell out of the sky in front of the now-giant and apparently crazy raccoon. Either she was already dead, on the way there and she was hallucinating, or this was someone's idea of a really weird miracle.

* * *

Sasuke coughed and spluttered as he pulled himself back to his feet after being hurled around for what felt like the hundredth time; this time flecks of red appeared on his palm and he grimaced. That would explain the pain in his gut then.

He'd had the cursed seal open for perhaps fifteen minuets, and he was beginning to wish he could push it back again, but it was stuck open over his skin, and he was feeling the effects of it. He could feel it slowly eating away at him, but the Oto ninja didn't appear to be backing down.

In fact he had just got more enthusiastic when the seal had appeared on his skin, rambling on trumping _'that bitch'_ by giving him to Orochimaru himself. Apparently Naruto was unpopular no matter which village she was in, but that wasn't the problem.

His own chakra was gone, the seal seemed to be slowly killing him, and this lizard weirdo was probably going to kill him trying to catch him. He was never going to get to Naruto at this rate-

A huge blast of familiar, viscous chakra seemed to ring like a bell from the Hokage tower, and the explosion he could see distracted him and the lizard ninja for a moment, then the ninja turned on him again. He managed to block the punches and dodge the kicks, but he had been pushed back onto complete an utter defence at this point.

Shaky defence at that; a spasmodic side effect from the seal gave his opponent and opening, and he was sent crashing into one of the walls of a damaged building, crashing through it onto the the rubble; struggling back up he was greeted with the sight of the lizard man about to crash down onto him in a manner not unlike lee's lotus.

Then something red shot out from nowhere and sent the lizard crashing for a change; once it stopped moving, he dimly recognised Naruto behind the three-tailed shroud of bubbling, biting, hot, malignant chakra. It was nothing like he had seen before... It was actually heating and attacking the air around it, disintegrating whatever she steeped on if it was small enough.

Her eyes, the entirety of her iris and pupil, had turned to a glowing blood red, and her sclerea had turned back. He could swear he could see bits of her skin peeling of, disintegrating in the chakra surrounding her. She glanced towards him once, and in that moment he was actually afraid.

Not of Naruto, but for her. Even changed as she was, there was still something that had stayed the same, and the idea of it disappearing into this... transformation, scared him more than he liked to admit. To his surprise however, two of the tails began to shrink, her skin seemed to stop flaking, and the pupil and sclerea in her eyes came back.

Her eyes were red, but only slitted, and the chakra was still thick in the air, but... it was much more reassuring to see her even in that form, as much as he didn't like that one either.

"Don't you pay attention to orders? You were told not to touch him! You should be glad I'm the one finishing you off idiot; if Sensei found out you had been bashing around his next host he'd be much less merciful..." she snarled.

Then she pounced, darting forwards quicker than he could see her, and there was a scream. The sound of flesh tearing and bones snapping cut it off.

He didn't see what Naruto had done because her back was in the way, but the man's head rolled out in front of him, and he felt the strong urge to throw up when he saw the copious amount of blood on her front and around her fanged mouth.

She glanced back towards him once again, and something changed on her face, and the Kyuubi's chakra disappeared as quickly as it had come. Her expression changed to something slightly panicked, and stared at her surroundings, comprehension flooding into her eyes.

"Naruto..."

Her head snapped away from him as there was an explosion from the arena, and she darted away once again. He ignored the spike of pain as he pulled himself to his feet and followed her in the direction of the stadium.

* * *

Naruto landed on the roof of one of the stadium seating areas, and kicked off once again as Sasuke began to catch up; she'd rather he didn't see this, but if he was still chasing her, she was confident she'd still be able to lure him away.

She began forming hand seals as she came down through the air towards the barrier, and bit her thumb; extending her hand forwards, there was a crackle as she hit the orange barrier, before she slipped through much to the dismay of the ANBU who had been hurling various techniques at it.

"Sensei!" she chirruped cheerfully as she fell through the trees created by one of the animated corpses.

The old grump looked with wide eyes as she landed on Orochimaru's back, whirling him around from the momentum like a child greeting a parent.

"Hello again Naruto; Kabuto tells me you've been having fun here" he smirked in greeting as she released him from her hold.

Naruto scowled at him; she knew Kabuto would tattle. Then again, it made things a bit more interesting. She supposed that was Orochimaru's influence rubbing off on her. Anything that made things more exciting appealed to her, and Orochimaru had done a lot more than attack a village out of boredom.

"I guess that's one way of putting it – I don't suppose you planned that did you?" she asked, knowing full well what his answer would be.

"Of course I did. I expect some entertainment in the future, so please don't disappoint me"

Naruto scowled and turned towards the old man and the monkey staring wide eyed in front of her; why was he so surprised? Surely Kakashi had told him about his suspicions? Sure she had pulled the wool over his eyes once but... Oh, he was in denial! Poor delusional old man... He should have quit his job ages ago.

"Are you going to join in?" Orochimaru asked.

Naruto was about to agree with the enthusiasm he expected, but a though crossed her mind, and she gave her brain an internal grin at the proposition it had just come up with; she flicked her eyes towards the Hokage, putting on a false expression of indecision.

"I... I'd rather stay out of it Sensei..." she replied tentatively, glancing back at the Hokage.

The brief flicker of hope on his expression was exactly what she was looking for, and she smirked internally as Orochimaru raised an eyebrow before lunging towards his old teacher once again.

Really, playing with them was almost as much fun as killing them.

* * *

_**Another quick update; I don't know what's wrong with me at all. Really.**_

_**Actually, I do; I'm ill, and updates cheer me up. It wouldnt be so bad if I was actually ill-ill, but it's all because I've spent the majority of five days in a car; sleep deprivation, exhaustion, and the fact that I don't eat much on long car journeys all came shooting back at once yesterday, so now I feel like crap. Bleeaaaarrrgggh. I hate feeling sick. This all because I had to go to my 2nd cousin's vow-renewal...**_

_**As far as this chapter is concerned, Sasuke is having something of a wake-up call where naruto is concerned, and Jiraiya has come into the equation too. Sakura and Sai did a decent job against Gaara, and Naruto's luck has paid off where sakura is concerned. Things are generally moving forward a little faster now.**_

_**Title is **_**'Dance With The Devil'**_** by Breaking Benjamin - again, predictable, but everyone has a demon of some kind to deal with in this chapter... :D**_

_**Hope you all liked!**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx**_


	10. Part I: Master Plan

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER TEN  
- - MASTER PLAN - -**

* * *

_**'Love is not Love which alters when alteration finds' – William Shakespeare.**_

* * *

Sasuke landed on the roof nearest to the barrier on top of the stadium; he wasn't close-up like the ANBU, but he was close enough to see what was going on with a little help from his Sharingan.

The seal was beginning to be a problem now, but he didn't care about the shooting pains he was experiencing; he was trying to read Naruto's lips with the Sharingan, unfortunately it wasn't working. She was too far away for it to be distinct, and he couldn't zoom in like the Hyuugas could with the Byakugan.

He could see what she was doing in spite of that though; there was a confused expression on her face, and she kept looking between the man his clone had found to be Orochimaru, and the Hokage himself. The Third seemed to be yelling something at her, and Orochimaru was yelling too.

Orochimaru lunged towards the Hokage and something seemed to happen to his arms after an attack from the Hokage, and it seemed like to old man was going to win. Something was yelled to Naruto from both of them. Anyone else might have mistaken the tears on her face for real ones stemming from confusion, being torn by two different decisions.

He ignored his own realisation even when she strayed towards the Hokage with a last glance towards Orochimaru. She kept up the act for a few more moments, and then her eyes turned red; she began weaving hand signs in separate hands, before slamming them into the Hokage's chest.

Whatever had happened to Orochimaru was reversed, but he still looked pretty clapped out; the Hokage's injuries also left him without much defence. Naruto took another step closer to the old man, mumbled something, and rammed her clawed hand into his ribcage and tore out his heart.

He didn't remember anything after that, because the spasms from the seal had reached his own heart, and Sasuke fell to his knees on the tiled roof; his vision was blurry, breathing was almost impossible, and the pain from the seal... it had to be killing him vision darkened, and he collapsed.

The last thing he saw was the silhouette of his teacher before unconsciousness claimed him.

* * *

Naruto dropped down behind one of the rooftops as her _so-called_ godfather began his discussion with the village elders; she had great difficulty in holding herself back, but she managed it. With any luck, Sasuke would be leaving with her in a matter of days, but she had to stay in control for the moment.

She would be satisfied with killing the old man for now; admittedly Orochimaru had done most of the work, but the final blow had been hers. She didn't mind that though – she wasn't strong enough to battle a Kage on her own just yet, but leaving without feeling his blood on her fingers would have been impossible.

She couldn't believe he had actually believed her little spot of acting, but he had!  
That had been such_ fun!_

Watching the hope dying away, realisation his ruse was over when she told him why she'd turned on him, that she was just _'taking an eye for an eye'_ was the best part! Well almost... Seeing his blood spill from the hole in his chest, feeling the last beats of his heart in her hand... That had been one of the best moments in her life to date.

She had almost turned into her three-tailed state from the sheer joy of the feeling right there and then. Unfortunately almost having his soul sucked out had resulted in repercussions for Orochimaru; she had managed to stop the total damage of his arms, but the Dead Demon Consuming Seal wasn't one she could completely interfere with.

It was a _Dead Demon Consuming Seal!_ Her mother's family had created that seal! She had almost ripped Sarutobi's head off for using it the moment she recognised it, but she had held it in for the sake of playing.

As for Orochimaru, he would be able to use his arms, but hand seals were out of the question. A quick exam after getting him out of the village with his four cronies had revealed that the chakra coils in them were almost completely shot to pieces; it was damage far beyond her or even Kabuto's ability to repair.

The only way to rectify was to find a competent healer, or to switch bodies, and Orochimaru wasn't ready to transfer just yet; for one thing, he'd already said he didn't want Sasuke's body till he was older, and for another there was a time frame for the actual transfer that he'd yet to reach.

Orochimaru had sent her back, telling her to worry more about her mission for the moment; with village security in the state it was, getting to Sasuke would be that much harder. He was right; she'd had to scout the borders of the village for a whole day before she could find a way back in undetected, but she had returned just in time to catch this delightful conversation.

"_Tsunade?_ You want to make _her_ the Hokage? Are you insane? She'll never go for it!" he grumbled to the two old prunes.

So that's what this was about – if that was the case, she'd have to sneak back into the Hokage tower before someone was appointed. Especially if she was going to find out if her suspicions about Sakura really were worth anything. It might just be over thinking on her part, but if she was right... it would definitely be to her advantage.

"Well, since _you _have already declined the position, she is the only available option!" Koharu snapped.

Urgh, what Naruto wouldn't give to rip her head off right this moment! That woman was one of the people who had turned Sasuke's life upside down, not that he knew it, and she was the one who had... It was that woman who had been in charge of the attack, in charge of making sure her mother and father knew absolutely _nothing _until...

If there was any way she could choose who she got to tear to shreds when the time came, she wanted that woman! Sasuke could have the whole village when he learned the truth, as long as she got that woman! She felt the Kyuubi's chakra stirring as Jiraiya snapped his head in her direction and quickly stomped it back down. Damn anger...

"Fine, I'll go, but don't expect any results! You know why she's turned her back on this place - you should be more grateful that I haven't done the same."

The woman thinned her lips but said nothing, and turned and walked away from her two companions. The male elder, Homura she believed his name was, decided to put down his own thoughts once she had gone, some very interesting thoughts.

"There is something else we want you to do Jiraiya; we need you to take Sasuke Uchiha along with you on this trip" he informed the toad sage with a bit more tact than his fellow elder.

"Itachi's brother? What_ for?_" Jiraiya asked, his eyebrows narrowing.

"...Sasuke had been marked with the cursed seal, and while he had shown resistance to the seal, he will not show resistance to... Orochimaru's _messenger_. He is still in the hospital the moment– the medics are having trouble with his injuries..."

Jiraiya frowned in thought, his eyes wandering back to the place where she was hiding, and Naruto smirked; maybe it was time she visited Sasuke...

She didn't like this talk of him being in the hospital and not being healed properly at all though; it had to be the cursed seal... That idiot! Surely he knew it wasn't supposed to be used over an extended period? She'd have to go pasy him a visit.

Really, it was probably a good thing Orochimaru had taken an interst in Sasuke. It made things much easier in general futher down the line if she convinced him to leave with her now, rather than later on. There was something to be said for Orochimaru's _'catch them young'_ philosophy when it came to choosing his minions.

Just because she didn't plan on leaving without Sasuke for herself didn't mean he wasn't stupid though! He had to start contoling his impulsive side... Then again, it was his impulsive side that would help her win him over in the end, so maybe it wasnt such a bad thing. Even if it was giving her a headache now.

Taking care to keep her chakra signature flat, and thus avoid detection if Jiraiya hadn't already spotted her, Naruto dissapeared from the roof top.

* * *

Sakura poked at her breakfast despondently; it had been two days since the Otogakure and Sunagakure villages had attacked, and Sasuke still hadn't woken up from his cursed seal-induced coma.

Of course she had heard the stories about Naruto, about how she had been the one who had killed the Hokage; much as she didn't want to believe it, she had a strong suspicion they were right. Sasuke would be able to confirm it, but he was still sleeping.

What on earth would make Naruto hate the village this much, hate the _Hokage_ so much? The man had been nothing but nice to her when they were kids – he had been one of the few people besides her own family who liked her, _talked_ to her. He'd been like a grandfather to her... But now she had just...

"Sakura, what's bothering you?"

Sakura looked up at her father, who had just sad down with a plate of fried eggs and toast opposite her; unlike her, he was in a relatively genial mood considering the village had just been attacked. Then again, he'd never been very enthusiastic towards his job, especially after her mother and sister had been killed on a mission.

"I was just... I was thinking about Naruto..." she replied to the man, taking a half-hearted bite of her toast.  
"_Naruto?_ What for...?" he asked, looking a little surprised.

Sakura wondered if she should reveal what Naruto had told her to her father, but his opinion was never asked so she figured it was safe. He was a regular Jonin. Powerful in his abilities, but not notable like Kakashi-sensei was. He was safe, so she told him.

"Before... Before the match, I talked to her; I wanted to know why she left... Why she was doing all this, and... she said it was because of... She said it was because Konoha betrayed her... I don't know how I'm supposed to think of that..."

Her sentence died away when she caught sight of her father's face; he was shocked by the revelation, but the anger on his face was what surprised her. Why was he so mad? Did he know something? It was the only explanation she could think of...

"Dad...?" she asked a question, but she wasn't certain which question she was asking until he started to haltingly answer it.  
"I always did wonder if those rumours were right..." he murmured.

That didn't really explain much; about all she could get from her father's words was that Naruto had, as far as he knew at any rate, been telling the truth when she said Konoha was the one at fault. What they were at fault for, why, when, and specific individuals (if any)were left unsaid.

"What does that mean? She really _was_ telling the truth? Dad, what was she talking about?" she asked, standing up and lining over the table towards him, her expression a little fierce in her eagerness for any sort of explanation.

Her father realised his mistake and sighed a sigh of frustration.

"I wish I could tell you Sakura, but I don't know anything of it myself; I don't want to tell you what I think and have it turn out wrong in the end. You know I'm not fond of this village, and I don't want my opinions to affect yours. All I can suggest is that you try and figure this out yourself" he replied apologetically.

Sakura scowled at him in irritation as he began to mess around with yolk of his eggs on top of the toast; if her mother had still been alive she would have been shrieking some of the foulest language in the village, but Sakura had her father's reserved nature (most of the time anyway). Her sister had been more like her mother.

It was only when Sakura was truly mad that her mother's influence came out, so as much as the mutilation of the food she had made irritated her, she was more concerned with getting a clear answer form her father now that he had sparked her suspicions.

"That's not much help Dad!" she complained.

Her father just smiled at her, his green eyes sparkling with humour.  
"I think you'll manage it one way or another – you're smarter than your mother was, and that's saying something" he informed her, before getting up from the table and leaving the room.

Sakura felt like strangling him as he left the room, but as her gaze landed on the eggy mess; her eyes widened at what she saw, and she stared at the doorway her father had just left through.

Was this a hint...? The yolk of one of the eggs had been formed into a yellow globby mess, but if she concentrated on it... It looked like a spiral. A spiral... That _couldn't_ be a coincidence; she was certain she had heard something relevant about spirals before, but she couldn't remember what.

What on earth had she heard? She couldn't really remember – she had learned quite a bit of extra information on Naruto since running into her again, especially since the end of the invasion. Kakashi had told her during her training of Naruto's danger (in terms of being the Kyuubi Jinchuriki) but she didn't think that was it...

This one clue was better than nothing though; sending a silent thanks to her father she headed for the doorway herself, stopping only to pull on her pouch, holster and sandals before darting out of the door. She had to talk to Sasuke, and if she had to wait for him to wake up, then she'd wait all week if she had to.

* * *

It took Sasuke a long few minuets to blink himself awake, and when he did he felt like he had been knocked through several walls. Then he remembered he _had_ been knocked through several walls, and with curse seal rebound to boot.

Gradually he began to realise that he was not alone in the room; there was someone close by, in fact, if the heavy presence on his waist was anything to go by they were sitting on him... His foggy mind slowly began to recognise the chakra above him and his eyes snapped wide open.

His first instinct was to push Naruto off of him – he couldn't help it. The last image he had seen of her had been the ripping of the Hokage's heart from his chest, after tearing the head off one of her own supposed comrades. He began to calm a little when he realised she was just healing him, but he couldn't get that image out of his mind.

She had just toyed with the old man, dangling a little smidgen of hope in front of his eyes before stomping down on it and pouncing when he was weakest. Was that the sort of person that Otogakure would turn him into? Naruto was almost like his brother in the way she played with peoples minds...

No matter how much power he could gain from Otogakure, he didn't want it if it turned him into someone like his brother. His brother was the _last_ person he wanted to be like.

She looked him in the eye them, surprise on her face, and he felt his chest constrict at the blatant relief on her face; she looked exhausted. He could tell by the lines of concentration on her face, the sweat on her brow, and the haphazard stands of her hair that had wormed from her hair ties.

She must have been her for at least an hour, it was the only way she could be so tired, but she was still sending green chakra over his skin. He could feel his head getting cleared by the second. She reached one hand out towards his face, only to halt it when he flinched away involuntarily.

She stiffened for a moment and an apology was mumbled form his lips before he even knew it was in his thoughts; how could she switch back and forth like this so easily? Why could she just pick one side or another? He felt this would be so much easier if he just knew why she hated Konoha so much, but she sure as hell wouldn't budge on that.

How could she be the closest person to him, but so far from his understanding at the same time? He couldn't find the line between them any more; she wasn't a mere friend, she was far beyond that, but he couldn't get a better indicator on how much of an enemy she was either.

He couldn't _look_ at her as an enemy; he knew she was – he'd watched her kill the Hokage! - but he just couldn't put her into the same category as Itachi. Naruto wasn't an enemy to him, even though she very much was. Around him, there were times when she was almost her old self... Maybe not totally, but very close.

She wasn't _his_ enemy.

There was a nervous silence between them as she continued to push green chakra through the bandages on his chest, fixing the damage that the cursed seal had done to his body. He absently wondered how she hadn't attracted any attention, but he was more worried about her physical presence.

He didn't dare move; every time her hands moved, brushing his skin or she shifted, it was like a searing current through him; her hands moved up, just below his collarbone and her head leaned in to get a better look at her work; the odd fluxes in her chakra betrayed just how much effort it was taking her.

Naruto had never been good with controlling her chakra well over an extended period of time, and he had assumed it had improved but... was the concentration not from the effort, but from maintaining just her control? If it was so hard, why push herself? There were actual medics here right?

Her face was so close to his; he could hear her laboured breathing from her exertions, feel it on his neck as she concentrated. It was burning him from the inside out, sending scalding frustration through his whole body. It would be so easy to just lean in and kiss her, but he didn't dare.

Naruto stopped, the chakra dissipating into his skin for a final time before disappearing completely, and she let out a breath of exhaustion. Raising her head, her hands still where they had been when he was healing him, she looked him directly in the eye for the first time.

"Are you scared of me now?" she asked.  
How could she scare him when he could see the anxiety on her face?

If she hadn't been worried about the reply, then he would have been scared of her. If she'd been worry free, it would have been a sign there was noting left of the Naruto he knew. But she was worried, so even though it was only a tiny fragment, she was still the same in one way.

As long as that one way was still there, he'd never be afraid of her; he may never understand her the same way again, might be shocked by some of the things she did, but he would never be afraid of her.

He should have been, but he wasn't; he didn't understand why Naruto had turned out the why she had, how she could have killed the old man she used to look up to like a grandfather so easily, but he wasn't afraid of her. He knew the Kyuubi had played a large part in her development, was linked into her most basic of desires now, but she didn't scare him. _She_ would never scare him.

He answered her question by closing the short distance between their lips; the burning heat that had turned him to a statue while she had been healing him became a fuel. He tried to avoid the fervour that had revealed the Kyuubi to him, but instead of cooling the fire, it just turned into a blaze.

He linked an arm around her lower back, pulling her further down on him, closer to him as his other hand went to the back of her neck. His tongue smoothed over her lips as they parted, and invaded the wet, heated space, brushing against her own tongue as she clamped her arms around his neck.

It wouldn't go away; the burning need wouldn't go away. It was overwhelming him. He felt hot all over, but it felt different to just an increase in temperature. There was something else, and it just kept growing and growing as he kissed her.

She was so close, and as his lips and tongue moved against her own, the heat of her breath just made it all the worse. He knew his own breath was short... When she shifted to a better position over his lap, something just exploded, because to his horror, he was halfway towards an erection.

His hands started moving, the one on her neck moves towards her rear as the other slipped beneath her orange shirt to the wrappings she wore – or more specifically the ties at the back. Naruto responded immediately, her lips leaving his to trail his jaw, her hands pressing into his shoulders, pushing his back against the pillows behind him.

It might have been the feel of her nails lengthening and biting into his skin, or the wave of addictive heat that shot through him as she pressed against his half hard erection, but something jolted him.

He remember that three tailed form, the _ease_ at which she had torn the head off of the sound ninja that had been attacking him, how _eagerly_ she had ripped the heart from the Hokage's chest, and he pulled back. He couldn't let himself be distracted. He needed answers this time. He'd let it slide last time, more interested in the Kyuubi, but he couldn't let it go this time.

"How could you kill him so easily? He was like a grandfather to you wasn't he? How could you.. toy with him like that? Why didn't you just kill him?" he asked, nut despite the low tone, it wasn't really a question.

Naruto kept her gaze on him, contemplating on how to answer the question; he could tell she wasn't going to completely brush the question aside this time, but there were also things she didn't want him to know about. A lot of things most likely.

"Because that's what he did to me; he was nice on the surface too, but he betrayed my family in the same way he did yours, and seeing him dead was the only thing that comes close to accounting for what he did." she replied bluntly.

That just raised another load of questions; what she mean, the same way he had _his_ family? Itachi had been the one who had killed his family, not the Hokage! What was she _talking_ about? What did the Third do? Was she talking about the Kyuubi? Did it have something to do with that?

Her hands moved to the seal on his shoulder, her hands surrounded in a purple glow before he could ask, distracting him; he could feel the seal reacting to whatever she was doing to it. It didn't hurt, he could just feel it moving. Before he could ask what she was doing though, her head ducked towards his neck and her felt her teeth digging into the mark.

That did hurt, in fact it was excruciating, and it was over before he could full appreciate just how painful it was. Naruto had a frown on her face, and her teeth were just protruding over her bottom lip. He felt the gathering of her chakra and she bit him once again, and he felt the tiny trickle of chakra rushing into the seal.

It was Kyuubi chakra; it was a mere trickle, but the sheer agony of it coursing through his veins was enough to paralyse him; the cursed seal paled in comparison to the pain wrought from the Kyuubi chakra she was deliberately injecting him with. What the hell was she doing?

Before he had a chance to ask, they were both distracted as the door was thrown open; standing in the doorway was a man of about fifty with long grey hair, and his two stunned team-mates. Sakura's face had turned bright red for some reason, but Sai looked... a little ill if he had to place it. He couldn't tell for sure – he really couldn't move at all.

"W-why am I on top of Sasuke like that?" Sai asked, and then Sasuke understood.

Just because he could see it was Naruto didn't mean the others could; how the heck had she learned to layer an illusion like that? That took insane chakra control, and why couldn't he feel the chakra she was using for it? He wasn't really part of it, so wouldn't he have been able to sense it?

"Che, ratted out already. I wanted to have some fun too..." Naruto pouted, the illusion apparently melting away if the stunned looks on his team-mates faces was anything to go by.

The look on the face of the man behind them was what drew him though; he looked like someone had just thrown a paper bomb at him. Sasuke swore the man was actually shaking. His gaze was directed towards Naruto so he must know her, but how? Damn it, when was he going to be able to move again?

"I guess I should say say nice to meet you Godfather mine, but to be honest, it's _not_ really nice to meet you. I don't _like_ being interrupted" Naruto informed the man.

Jiraiya, as he appeared to be called, lunged towards her; Naruto quickly disappeared and reappeared at the window. Now that she wasn't close to him he found he could move again. It also mean that the pain actually seemed to be affecting him, and with a howl he bent forward, clutching the mark on his neck.

"Sasuke! Naruto, what did you do to him?" Sakura demanded as she rushed forward.

Sai disappeared down the hall, presumably to find one of the medics. Naruto remained perched on the windowsill, her eyes on the occupants of the room, particularly Jiraiya. The man's shock seemed to have passed, and anger was the more obvious emotion on his face.

"Well, I just came by to fix what the incompetent medics here couldn't... I'd like to stay and chat but I have business elsewh-"

Her godfather hurled a selection of kunai and shuriken from within his sleeves; and Naruto smirked, not even trying to move from their path. They hit her and she disappeared in a puff of smoke.

* * *

_**Update-no-jutsu! Still stuck with college computers - I've had to de-frag and erase half of my hard drive on my old laptop to get it to work properly this week. I **_**hate**_** de-frag. It takes forever, and I still dont have enough space... **_

_**I got a bit of everyone ion this chapter - Sasuke is begining to wake up and realise that Naruto is eeeeevil, he just... dosne't care. Yet... Sakura is starting her own research, Naruto's plans are starting to move (including Sakura) and Jiraiya has shown up! I believe it was **_**VaughnTyler **_**and **_**EDelta88**_** who mentioned him in their reviews, so here he is! He was going in, but kudos to them anyway. **_

_**Sasuke's still going to be dragged through the mill a little before starting to stick up for himself (and when I say a little, I mean I'm going to **_**torture**_** him and enjoy it **_***nyeh heh heh***_**), especially next chapter. Really, I've have completley and utterly killed Sasuke's character with it all... Argh, I hate writing Sasuke! He's so hard to write outside of canon...**_

_**Title is **_**'Master Plan'**_** by Adam Lambert - I love him. He's the male Lady Gaga, cept better I think... and I think he looks like Sasuke a litte in the**_** 'Whattaya Want From Me' **_**video. Gah, gotta stop fangirling. Ignore that~! **_

_**Hope you liked the chapter!**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx**_


	11. Part I: Battlefield

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER ELEVEN  
- - BATTLEFIELD - -**

* * *

_'I love her, and that's the beginning of everything' – F. Scott Fitzgerald.__**

* * *

**_

Naruto grinned as the memories from her clone returned to her – she hadn't expected to actually run into her godfather today.  
That look on his face had been hilarious.

He was going to be very, very carefully monitoring Sasuke now, but with any luck the immobilisation trick would have mitigated his concern somewhat; if he thought that Sasuke hadn't been aware of who she was until the last moment, she still had the upper-hand.

Provided Sasuke used his _brain_ and played along of course.

After what felt like an hour of waiting, the council members finally left the Hokage's office with the ANBU who had been guarding it; she had set off a diversion with some exploding clones on the other side of the village, under the transformations of random sound ninja of course. She didn't want them knowing she had been back in here just yet. Not publicly at any rate - she had some time before Jiraiya put the alarm up.

Sipping through the window, she headed for the desk for what she hoped would be the last time; it wasn't that she minded nosing through the files here, it was just that it was so much easier to be caught. Her attention wasn't on her surroundings as much as it usually was.

Not that she wouldn't hear someone coming, they would just be more of a surprise. She quickly located Sakura's file and flicked through it, searching for anything that shouldn't have been there, or was unusual. At first she didn't find anything, but then she came to the techniques section.

The files were set to change automatically, so it was up to date, but there was a small _'S'_ in brackets just after the information on her family's chakra control traits that bugged her. She flicked through again, reading more closely this time. It was beside her name on the first page too.

Frowning, she set aside the file for the moment, and unsealed one of the Haruno scrolls she had stolen from the tower not two days ago; it was pretty simple to open. It didn't even have _blood seals_. Unravelling it, her eyes widened as she read the techniques on the parchment.

No way! This was _perfect!_ Hurriedly sealing the scroll away again, she began to to search the file section marked _'S'_, before finally finding the folder she was looking for. What she found gave her torn emotions; did she throw up in sight of yet another twisted scene from Konoha, or jump for joy at the findings?

She allowed a moment of relief from it instead, and gathered up both of the files – she would have to hurry and duplicate them like she had the others, but if she played her cards right, she wouldn't have to worry about facing off against Sakura later on at _all._

That would have to wait though; Jiraiya would be leaving with Sasuke in the next day or two, and would be searching for Tsunade. Kabuto had already sent a summon telling her Orochimaru was planning the same thing, and she was to meet them on the road.

The notion of driving him into a corner was not appealing, but it was the perfect opportunity, and her own opinions were not going to get in her way. If anything, they were going to do just the opposite.

* * *

"Those prunes want me to _what?_ What makes them think I'll even _consider_ the idea?" the blonde sannin replied angrily to her old team-mate's news.

Sasuke slumped irritably in the chair beside Jiraiya; after Naruto had disappeared, he had managed to get rid of some suspicion thanks to her use of illusions. Since no-one had seen Naruto when they first walked in, he could simply say he hadn't either.

By the time Naruto had frozen him and bit his neck, he had figured it out, but he hadn't been capable of moving. As far as anyone of them were concerned, he'd been completely ignorant. At least, they couldn't _openly_ accuse him of fraternizing with a known enemy, even if they knew otherwise.

He had still ended up stuck with this stupid perverted sannin though; despite his irritation however, he understood why they were worried. That stunt in the hospital had been something of a wake-up call for him. Naruto was dangerous, much as he didn't want to admit it. She had appeared in his room and he hadn't raised the alarm simply because it was _Naruto_.

He didn't know what she had done to the seal, though it was enough to make his sannin companion frown. The man seemed to dance to his is own tune, so he guessed that the frown was a_ bad_ thing. One difference he had noted though, were his senses – his taste, smell, touch, hearing and sight and chakra detection all seemed to have risen in sensitivity by a small margin.

He knew that it was thanks to the Kyuubi chakra Naruto had implanted in the seal, but he didn't understand how she could have managed it; Jiraiya had answered some of his questions about Jinchuriki and the Kyuubi, and he knew it wasn't supposed to be transferable. It should have done_ serious_ damage to his body, caused irrevocable damage to his chakra network... but it didn't.

He didn't really know what he was supposed to think about Naruto any more; he could see that the logical thing would be to treat her as any other enemy ninja but... but he didn't want to. Naruto was the only person who came close to understanding him. He'd never be able to hate her, not unless she got in his way and he found that unlikely.

Though that didn't mean he wasn't worried about she wanted from him. Or what Orochimaru wanted. The pervert had told him some stories about his ex-teammate, and to say he was revolted was an understatement. Now that he fully understood what the price of power from the man would be, it was distinctly_ less_ appealing. Posses his body? That sounded dodgy, no matter _which_ way it was said or worded.

"Don't yell at _me!_ I'm just the messenger – it told them you wouldn't be up for it..." Jiraiya replied to his team-mate defensively.

They were in the middle of a loud carousing sort of bar, seated at one of the tables. The blonde woman seemed very irritable, and she was accompanied by a brown haired woman and... a pig. He was in the middle of a bar with a pervert, a drunken 50-something woman with ageing issues, a neurotic kunoichi, and a _pig_.

"Well you should have told them a bit more strenuously! What on earth made them think I would even consider it after what they did to Minato and Ku-"  
"_Tsunade!_"

The words from the blonde woman, and Jiraiya's interruption, caught his attention immediately. Thankfully, he knew better than to let his interest be known; he remembered those names from his classes at the academy. There was only one mention of a Minato from Iruka, and that was the Fourth Hokage. There had been a brief mention of his wife too.

It didn't take much figuring out; they were Naruto's parents. Naruto had been cagey on her reasons for leaving the village, but she had said that the village had betrayed her. This blonde woman's words... reinforced that. It gave Naruto's words a new kind of depth, albeit still obscure.

Tsunade gave Jiraiya a strange look as he glanced towards him, trying to signify the need to be discreet.  
"Why are you babysitting an Uchiha anyway Jiraiya?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jiraiya looked uncomfortable, glancing back between the seemingly uninterested boy and his team-mate; the lack of response from him turned her expression into a frown, and his resistance crumpled.

He bent forward to mutter quietly into her ears, just beyond Sasuke's normal amount of hearing. But not his boosted hearing; he may not be able to hear through walls, but he could pick up the murmurs from this distance... thanks to Naruto adding some Kyuubi chakra to his cursed seal.

"Tsunade, Naruto is working alongside Orochimaru. He did most of the work, but _she_ was the one who killed Sensei" Jiraiya murmured, and Sasuke reminded himself that he would have to be patient before finding out anything new.

"What? But she was killed five years ago! Sensei sent me the message himsel-"

"She faked her own death. Orochimaru is after the Sharingan, and he sent her to get it. She's given that brat the curse mark, and twisted him around her little finger without his even realising it" Jiraiya replied.

Sasuke would have objected to the twisted part (he knew perfectly well that Naruto had her own motives) but he needed to keep his mouth shut.

"Twisted?"  
"She knew him before she left, _that's_ why Orochimaru sent her – more willing to join him that way. In any case, he has no resistance to her. _At all._ That's why he's with me. In case she shows up again..."

"You sound like you're hoping she _will_; do you think that she knows about-"  
"It's the only explanation I can think of – her file said she was phenomenally skilled at hiding her chakra even when she was young, so I can only guess she read the file in Sensei's office and-"

"Jiraiya, you're talking about a _seven-year-old!_ There's no way she could have gotten past the security seals! She wouldn't remember how!"

"Tsunade, you can erase a memory but not innate skills or a _trained mind!_ Security seals work well, but overload them with enough chakra and that's it! Most ninja wouldn't have enough to do that but she's got the Kyuubi sealed inside her... Naruto knows that office well, and she has her father's instincts. It doesn't _matter_ if her memories were erased - she's figured it out, and she's _no_ friend of Konoha anymore..."

Tsunade frowned in consternation as he replied; she didn't look convinced. Something seemed to flicker across her face, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously in Sasuke's direction. She suddenly began making a variety of hand gestures in front of Jiraiya's nose. The man shot him a suspicious gaze of his own, then replied in the same fashion.

He didn't know what they were saying after, that but at least he had confirmation that the village really had done something to warrant Naruto's anger. What was it though? Tsunade had been talking as if Naruto had been trained before... She said it was an attack of some kind before, and that it involved her parents too...

Had Konoha tried to kill them? He doubted it – her father had been the Hokage. Besides, this sounded much more than a simple attack on her parents. He couldn't imagine a Hokage being attacked so easily either. No, there was something else going on... Something that might even involve his brother. She had mentioned him and his clan a few times, so it was plausible.

He just wished he knew what it was; the more he thought on it, the more he thought on the possible reasons for Naruto's betrayal, the more he noted just how hard it was to understand her now. It was a feeling he had felt once before, and the man who had generated those feelings had killed their family.

Naruto was as much his enemy as Itachi was now; she had killed the Hokage. Any chance of her returning was gone now, and he would be expected to react accordingly the next time he saw her.

He didn't know if he could do that.

* * *

Sasuke stared at the toad and snake summons in front of him in a mixture of awe and fear; this was the power of a sannin? This was what was being offered to him? It made the price of giving up his body less extreme for some reason. That wasn't the reason he couldn't look away though; Tsunade was fighting Naruto, and Naruto was keeping up with her.

He didn't think he would see her here, never mind see her fighting a sannin on equal ground. She was _goading_ Tsunade like she had the third, he could tell; one moment she used Tsunade's own strength against her, the next she was using some sort of medical technique in her hands to jab and whirl at her in the style she'd used during the Chunin exams.

He was stuck away from the fight with some stupid slug, a pig, and the neurotic woman who seemed to follow Tsunade; Jiraiya and Tsunade didn't want him getting near Orochimaru, but he could _see_ what was happening. He could see the red of Naruto's eyes even from here.

More than that, he could feel it building – the building malevolence in the air was a sign of what was going to come, as was the burning hatred in her eyes as she looked at the blonde woman. He didn't know why, but Naruto hated her as much as she had the Third.

Naruto was going to kill her if she got the chance; she was still a few levels shy of being the woman's match as far as her personal capabilities went, even if she was keeping up. Tsunade had a noticeable edge over her, but Naruto was slowly infusing her chakra network with the Kyuubi's evil energy.

Just like with that level two Oto ninja, like the Hokage, she was just toying right now. Even though the woman was the more skilled ninja, the Kyuubi's chakra would make up for it. Naruto stopped then, deliberately slicing her palm open with one of her medical chakra coated fingers.

It confirmed his suspicions – Tsunade froze on sight of the blood. _Haemophobia_, he heard the neurotic woman mutter. He could only guess Naruto knew of Tsunade's fear of blood from Orochimaru, but it didn't really strike his mind as the most important thought.

She was going to kill the woman just like that, after she got bored of her game. He could see that time was growing close too. He didn't want to see that from Naruto. Not _again_ – he had already seen it at least three times when only once was enough. It repulsed him.

He couldn't argue that feeling away; he didn't care that Naruto was a Jinchuriki, he knew_ that_ didn't make her the demon, but this was _different_. This was a conscious acceptance of the demons traits. Naruto had said she was connected to the demon now, and couldn't always control her violent tendencies, but he knew _enjoyment_ when he saw it.

Naruto was in complete control of that chakra. This was different. It wasn't the sort of thing he wanted to watch her doing again, but she _would_ do it again. Because she hated Konoha. He couldn't watch it, but he knew it would keep happening, so there was only one option...

"_Is it too quiet for you too?"_

Naruto flicked a few flecks of blood towards Tsunade, and then launched into an attack, her hands glowing not with medical chakra, but a viscous orangey-red second skin. The Kyuubi chakra coated her hands, lengthening her nails into claws. Tsunade managed to jerk out of her daze, but not quickly enough to avoid one of the swipes.

She collapsed, a mark on her forehead glowing as Naruto advanced on her, that awful grin on her face, a grin he had seen before, in a different light to the one she was using it for. She shouldn't be smiling like that _now_. Ignoring Shizune's protests, he darted forwards, summoning as much chakra as he could into his Chidori.

He felt the prickle of the cursed seal on his skin as he headed towards them, but ignored it; this was the only solution. Naruto was never going to explain herself, so he would constantly be between doubt and trust, but she was still going to attack Konoha. Naruto said Konoha had betrayed him in the same way, but could he honestly trust that?

_He didn't really notice how close they had been to each other until she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his own._

He didn't have any evidence to believe so, and Naruto sure wasn't going to tell him. She was just going to keep attacking Konoha like this. He couldn't say he was overly proud of his village like she had been once, but it _was_ his home. How could she expect him to sit back and let her attack it, or just leave it behind like it was an _easy_ thing?

This was the only solution. She was always going to be an enemy now, no matter what kind of relationship they'd had in the past, or did have. Whether she understood him or not, she was an enemy. A serious one; if he didn't kill her, then someone else would, and he didn't want that.

He _had_ to do it.

She looked towards him slowly, her ears picking up the shrieking chirp of the lightning technique on his arm as he charged towards her, amusement on her face. God, was she an idiot? Why wasn't she moving? All she had to do was step out of the way, so why wasn't she moving? All she had to do was step to the side...!

_The impact against him was as surprising to him as it was to her, and his feet gave away beneath him, both of them falling to the dirt floor of the forest._

"_Don't you dare let it control you! Don't you dare! You're stronger than that!"_

She could easily dodge him! She knew that! Why wouldn't she move? As he darted closer, her gaze settled on his own, her eyes fading back to their normal lapis blue. Why wouldn't she _move?_ Did she _want_ to die? Was she so confident in the Kyuubi's regenerative capabilities that she'd just let him... let him _kill _her?

His free hand closed around her throat as he came within touching distance, slamming her down to the earth, the crackling lightning technique in his right arm aiming towards-

_She ran her hands over the skin beneath his shirt, feeling her nails sharpening through the kiss, gasping at the graze they left on his back._

Her eyes locked on his again, her expression completely unruffled and her eyes steady, and his hand froze half an inch from impact; he could feel the electricity burning his skin as he maintained the technique, urging his hand forward. It wouldn't move.

Why was he stopping? He shouldn't be hesitating; killing her was the only way to get rid of all his headaches. No more confusion, and it would be better for Konoha, and Naruto... It would just be_ better _in the long run. There wasn't any reason for him to stall this, but he couldn't move his arm any closer. He couldn't move it that half inch forwards and through her chest...

_She looked at him with those calm eyes, and reached up to kiss him; it wasn't harsh or animal like it had been the night before, but more like their first one, down by the dock. Calm. Plain... and pleasant._

His hands shook from the effort of keeping a grip on her throat and the effort of maintaining the Chidori; it was burning his skin now. He had to hurry up and use it before he destroyed his arm. It shouldn't be so hard, right? He was a ninja, he should be able to do this easily. What was that rule again?

For the first time, she moved; Naruto tugged sharply on his shirt collar, jerking his face towards her own, close enough to feel her breath on his lips, see the darker flecks of blue in her eyes, the tiny red veins in the corners. He could see the amusement in them, the sick enjoyment.

Her other hand grasped his wrist, seemingly oblivious to the viscous chirping energy surrounding it, pulling it to only a few millimetres distance from her chest.

_She glanced back towards him once again, and something changed on her face, and the Kyuubi's chakra disappeared as quickly as it had come. _

"What the matter Sasuke? Can't you do it?" she asked, mockingly.

He could do it! All he had to do was ram his arm through her chest. That all he had to do. It was simple. _Easy._ Why wouldn't his arm move? Why was it so hard? He couldn't hesitate like this! If he couldn't kill _Naruto,_ he'd never be able to kill _Itachi!_ Damn, it why couldn't he just kill her?

Naruto pulled his head down, touching his lips against his own as her other pulled the Chidori closer; as their lips connected, he tugged his hand back, aiming for the ground instead. God, this was so pathetic. All he had to do was... All he had to do was kill her. This was supposed to be his job as a ninja, eliminating threats against Konoha...

_Naruto took another step closer to the old man, mumbled something, and rammed her clawed hand into his ribcage and tore out his heart._

Naruto was a threat. He had to kill her. It wasn't his choice, but she had killed the Hokage. Maybe not on her own strength, but she would have done so if she could. She was just like _Itachi_, playing mind games on him. If he listened to her, he'd turn into his _brother._

He knew that. He knew all that, but he didn't want to kill her! He didn't want to kill her at all, he wanted to find out why she hated Konoha so much, then try and convince her to come back. That wasn't going to happen though was it? He was still stuck in the past with her, and she wasn't that Naruto any more.

She probably never would be. If he had to be stuck in the past with her, then there was only one way to make sure the present didn't keep interfering... He didn't want to do it! Every pore, every cell and muscle in his body was screaming that he didn't want to, but he pushed the emotion aside like a good little Genin and doubled the energy in his Chidori.

"_Are you scared of me now?" she asked.  
How could she scare him when he could see the anxiety on her face? _

For a second, he could have sworn he saw disbelief in her eyes as he gritted his teeth, and sunk his had into the centre of her chest; there was a sickening crack of bone, tear of flesh, and the splash of blood. The smell of it arose like a poison, the _worst_ kind of poison.

He buried his eyed in her shoulder. He couldn't move his eyes; moving his eye's he'd have to see it and he couldn't see it. He didn't ever want the visual memory of this. He didn't want to see what he'd done. He could feel the splutters of her breath, the sputters resulting from red fluid in her lungs.

His hand was still protruding from her back, almost up to his shoulder, and he didn't dare remove it. It was a plug at the moment; the moment he pulled his arm back... His arm was keeping her alive right now. He'd already killed her, he couldn't speed it up...

Naruto's arms moved, and he froze as his eyes snapped open in reaction to the weak embrace. Why was she...? He had just killed her! She was dying because of him! He could feel her blood leaking from the gaping hole he had made, staining his arm...

The grip around his neck tightened, and the emotions he had been trying to stamp down broke free from his reluctant control; he returned the gesture, the hand that had sliced through her reaching up to pull her head towards him as the other wound around her back.

"I'm sorry..." he whispered.

He mumbled the words over and over as tears spilled for the third time in his life since the massacre. What had he done? Why, no, how had he done this? What the hell was he thinking? How did this make him any different from his brother? Itachi had killed the clan. Naruto had minuets left because of him.

Why? _Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? _He didn't _want_ her to die! She was the_ last _person he wanted to die! He didn't want to do it! How had this happened? He could feel her grip slacken as her weak laughter degenerated into hacking bloody splutters. He could feel her chakra ebbing away...

"W-What are you... ap-pologizing... f-for? You... just lost... th-that stupid.. K-Konoha compassion that... was h-holding you... back... Th-thats what you..."

The grip that had been around his neck slackened, then her arms fell away; the gasps of breath disappeared and he felt her body go limp. No. She wasn't dead yet. She couldn't be dead yet. Tsunade could heal her – he'd _make_ her do it. He'd convince her to... go back to the village? He'd leave the village?

He didn't care, she just couldn't be dead yet! She couldn't die! He didn't want her to die! Not her. Not Naruto. Naruto couldn't die! He felt someone pulling on him, and he batted them away with one arm, his free arm. The pulling increased, more forceful this time.

"Get the fuck off of me! Don't touch me!" he roared, frighting the grip as Jiraiya pulled him free from Naruto.

There was a _shlick_ as his arm was pulled from the wound in her chest, and blood spurted from the hole as she fell to the ground with a limp thud.

Her eyes were still open, staring lifelessly towards him, blood seeping from the hole, pooling onto the grass around her. The image was burned into his eyes, and he knew he would never be able to forget it the way he had blocked out most of the massacre.

He fought against the grip on his waist, kicking and clawing as best he could in face of superior physical strength and ability, and in his own desperation. They couldn't just leave her there! They could still heal her! He didn't know the first thing about healing, but if no-one else would do it then he'd just try to learn now!

"_Get Off!_ She'd going to die! Get your fucking hands off me and let-"

There was a sharp blow to the back of his neck as Jiraiya hit his pressure points; he fought the black of unconsciousness as best he could, and he lasted long enough to see Kabuto picking up Naruto's body before it claimed him and the world turned black.

* * *

**_Nyeh heh heh heh heh heh..._**

**_Is I evil? I think I _is_ evil... How's_ that_ for a cliffhanger? I couln't wait; this is one of my favourite chapters, so I had to update a little earlier than usual. Ha ha, I said Sasuke was going to be tortured, and it isn't over yet either! Plenty more to come in the next nine chapters; part one will officially finish at twenty chapters length. This certain, because I finished writing them last month._**

**_Poor Sasuchin. He was making such good progress at the start of the chapter too; now he's let his emotions run riot and get the best of him again. It just hasn't worked out in his favour the way he thought it would... Silly emotionally stunted boy. Naruto deserves a few lectures I think, very many lectures. But only from people who want to die - she wouldn't like being lectured..._**

**I LOVE CLIFFHANGERS! XD**  
**_The title is _'Battlefield'_ by Jordin Sparks. I think you can see the inspiration. _**

**_Hope you all liked; I have to run away from the sharp pointy object now but still..._ CLIFFHANGERS FTW!**  
**_Nat._**  
**_xxx_**


	12. Part I: Rolling In The Deep

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWELVE  
- - ROLLING IN THE DEEP - -**

* * *

_**'Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation' – Kahlil Gibran.**_

* * *

"_...and then, Suzume-sensei said if I really, really wanted to pass flower arranging I'd have to take an extra class at lunchtime! I hate her! It's not my fault I don't know flower stuff like you and Ino – my Mama won't let me do gardening or stuff like that!"_

_Naruto wasn't listening to what Sakura said, despite feeling some sympathy towards the irate girl. Her thoughts were busy contemplating what she had seen at the beginning of the week, in third Hokage's office._

_That creepy man had explained some things like that _'Jinchuriki' _word in her file, and told her that the stuff in the folder really was true – that he'd seen people from Uzushiogakure fleeing to Konoha with his own eyes. She hadn't seen Sasuke's file, but if the stuff in her file was true then..._

_She didn't know what to think of this village any more, and she had the opportunity to do something about it in front of her but... she was scared. What if those files were eye tricks that man had made? She didn't know much about him, other than his name. She had asked Iruka-sensei who he was, saying she had heard some old ninjas talking about him in the market._

_He wasn't a good person, she'd know that the moment she'd laid eyes on him, but Iruka-senseis's explanation that he was a missing ninja, and that she shouldn't talk about him again made it harder to clarify her decision making process._

_Sasuke was watching her as they headed out of the classroom, and she knew he could see something was wrong – he'd been watching her ever since she'd asked him if he would stay in Konoha, but she ignored it._

_If this Orochi... Orochu... If that creepy guy who smells of snakes was really a missing ninja, then he didn't really have any reason to lie to her did he? If he hated Konoha, then why would he bother to lie about something as awful as what she had seen in those files? _

_Sakura continued to babble away as the headed out into the courtyard, towards the academy gates, but Naruto wasn't interested in Sakura's words; her eyes had drifted in their gaze over the rooftops to the Hokage monument, the one she had decorated in multitude of paint only a few weeks ago._

_Her gaze settled on the last two heads carved into the monument, and her feet stopped; one of them was the face of her Papa. She had always wondered what had happened to him and her Mama but... the third Hokage had never told her. Now that she knew what Konoha had done..._

_Sasuke had said that he wouldn't leave the village unless he had a really good reason, but this knowledge... Could something so bad be a good reason to leave? She wasn't sure if she wanted to leave, at least, she didn't want to leave Sakura and Sasuke, she liked them._

_But the third Hokage had lied to her – he had lied to her in a huge, big way, and to Sasuke! She didn't want to tell Sasuke, cuz she shouldn't have been nosing in his family files in the first place, but now that she knew what they had made him go through, what they had made his brother do alongside what they had done to her Mama's village..._

"_...Sis is making dinner tonight, and she said there was gonna be loads, since she and mama are going on a mission tomorrow and Papa can't cook great, so she said to ask if you wanted to... Naruto? What's wrong?"_

_Naruto jerked her eyes from the Hokage monument towards her friend; Sakura had a worried look in her eyes that seemed to match the one Sasuke had been giving her all week, that he was giving her now from the other side of the courtyard. Naruto covered her slip with a grin for both their sakes._

"_I'm fine Sakura! You worry too much!"_

_Sakura seemed to believe her, but her eyes lingered, a little more watchful as they continued their way across the academy courtyard, past the swing and towards the gates._

"_Well, if you say... So? You want to come over for dinner tonight?"_

_Naruto paused for a moment again, chewing her lip as she pondered the decision in front of her; Sakura's request was like a final choice for some reason, if she stayed now, she'd have to stay forever, but if she left now she'd have to leave forever. She could only pick one of them, and it had to be before it got really dark and the bell at the shrine started tolling..._

_That man would be gone then; he'd said he would give her more information, but only if she left with him. He didn't really seem bothered either way, but... She really wanted to do something in return to Konoha; she finally understood Sasuke wanting to get revenge on his brother. If she went with that man and made him train her, then maybe she could do it..._

"_I really want to – your sis makes the best food for not-ramen food – but I have to do some stuff at home today, and Iruka gave me some extra chakra drills that I want to start so..."_

_Sakura began laughing at her eagerness to train as they reached the gates, but that wasn't what ran through Naruto's mind at all. Sakura turned in the direction of her own home on reaching the gates, but stopped to wave goodbye first. _

_Naruto copied the action but one word slipped from her moth that she had never used before. Sakura's cheerful waving stilled for a moment, the worry clouding her eyes as it reached her ears, the same way her questions had worried Sasuke for the whole week._

"_Goodbye Sakura."_

* * *

Sasuke woke up on Jiraiya's back halfway to another town; for a moment, he could pretend that he had just had a horrible nightmare.

It wasn't a very long moment though. As soon as the memories returned, he pushed himself away from the man and started walking on his own; Tsunade and Shizune both tried to encourage him into conversation, but one glare was enough to tell them he didn't want to talk. He focused on the scenery as they walked, keeping himself occupied until they got to the hotel, one in a town a few miles from Konoha.

Once they disappeared on business of their own, he let it all crumple down on him.

Back to the door of their room, he began to let the whirling thoughts completely take over his mind. He couldn't stand being in his own skin right now; he was disgusted, appalled, livid at his own actions, but those feelings were smothered by the hauntingly familiar feeling of grief and loss. Only this was so much worse than the loss of his family had been.

Was it because of _who_ had been killed, or because _he_ had been the one to do the killing? He wanted nothing more than to turn back time, change that moment when he had chosen Konoha over Naruto. If he could redo that moment, he'd choose Otogakure in an instant.

Naruto could lie, scheme and twist him around her finger all she wanted if he could do that; what the hell had he been thinking? He'd thought her dead once before hadn't he? It had been agonizing until he'd realised things hadn't added up... How could he have forgotten that so easily? Why had he thought he would be able to live with this? He couldn't live with this. He couldn't live with this at all. If this was what meant doing his job meant, then he hated it!

Why hadn't she moved out of the way...? Did she have some sort of scheme in the works? He briefly wondered if she had found a way to replace herself, or use some sort of clone, but the dried blood under his fingernails and on his shirt shot those ideas down.

Naruto was _dead_. He'd killed her. She'd been the last person of any real importance in his life after the massacre, even if she had been missing for five years. Naruto understood him better than anyone else, and _he_ had killed her. He really was Itachi's little brother. He was the fucking spitting image of him now.

There was a knock on the door. Then another. Then another and another. And another; eventually, it became an intrusion so irritating that he stomped to his feet and yanked the door open to tell whoever was on the other side to piss off.

The last person he was wanted and expected to see stood on the other side; his brother, Itachi Uchiha.

* * *

It felt like there was a mountain in front of him as he looked at his brother, the three spinning tomoe in his eyes. He could feel the power exuding from him. For a moment he wondered if he would ever be able to kill his brother at all. Then all the bitterness and anger rose, and he lunged at him.

It was very much a one sided fight, his arm was broken before he could even make a stab at his brother with the Chidori, then he was crashed into the wall, held in place by his brother's hand on his throat.

"Is that all you've managed to accomplish in my absence? I'm disappointed in you, foolish little brother..." Itachi informed him; his voice was the same as ever, but it had new tone in it.

Danger, revulsion. Something to be hated; it was the same kind of tone Naruto had used when she had been talking on serious things recently. His fingers of his unbroken arm clawed at the hold on his neck, but the next words from his brother stopped his struggles.

"Where is the Kyuubi Jinchuriki?"

If it was possible for his eyes to go any wider than they already were, then that was Sasuke's response to his brother's unexpected question; what the hell did he want with Naruto? Naruto had mentioned him before too... What the hell was he _missing_ from all this?

"Why should I tell _you_ that? What the hell do you want with her anyway?" he demanded as the grip on his throat dropped and he crashed to the floor.

Itachi placed a foot on his chest as he bent over him, eyes boring into his own, and yanked his broken arm so that it was at a straight angle from his body. He barley noticed the pain from the movement, and wasn't really bothered by Itachi's other foot hovering over it.

His mind was racing, trying to piece something together, but he could feel his chakra being slowly drained from his body... A glance to the left revealed a blue skinned Ex-Kirigakure ninja, leaning against a huge bandage-bound sword only inches from him; the strange smile on his face told him he was the culprit.

"I want nothing to do with the Jinchuriki; I only want what's inside her, but why so interested Sasuke?"

The Kyuubi? What the hell did Itachi want that for? He was enough of a threat without the Kyuubi. He wouldn't get it now of course, thanks to him, but the desire for clarification was galling.

"Naruto's dead" he hissed, ignoring his brother's question; Itachi's foot stomped down on his arm, and he let out a few restricted hisses at the pain.

"I have not the time for your stubbornness Sasuke – _where_ is the Jinchuriki? I know she was in Konoha, that she stayed with you before you left with Jiraiya... I'm going get an answer the easy way or the hard way, but I'll leave that decision up to you" his brother repeated, not a hint of irritation, not a hint of _anything_ in his voice at all.

"She's _dead!_" Sasuke hissed, spitting at his brothers face such was the vehemence of of his words.

Itachi's fingers gently and calmly wiped the wet substance from his eye, before stamping down hard on his arm, very hard; he screamed, and tried to push the foot on his chest off, but it was stuck like a rock as the pain from the injury shot through him.

"I told you I am in no mood for this; _where_ is the Jinchuriki?" Itachi demanded, grasping his chin with two fingers and forcing him to face him.

Sasuke snapped; that word was the straw to break his back, and though he wasn't quite sure how, he summoned enough energy and raw strength to kick Itachi back some meters; as he struggled back to his feet, he turned his gaze carefully back to his brother. He was sick to death of all this confusion.

"If I told you where her body was would you go _dig it up?_ What the hell do you want with her? There's always something you're after, but what the hell does _Naruto_ have to do with _you?_ Doing what she had to... like you and her parents... what the heck is that supposed to mean?" he roared.

Something flickered across his brother's face for the first time since meeting him again, no since that night he had come home to a massacre... Something in his words had shocked his brother, but what? Damn it, Naruto hadn't been lying at all when she implied there was more to his brother than he knew after all...

"What makes you so certain she's dead?" Itachi asked calm again, but having seen that flicker, Sasuke was certain he detected anxiety there.

It was eerie how closely he watched his brother even now, but he didn't dare tear his eyes away, if only to get something, some sort of answer to one of the wordless questions swarming inside his head. He began to half laugh at the question, but it soon died away with the response.

"I'm certain of it because _I killed her_; she was acting like _you_, dancing around and messing up peoples heads for the enjoyment of it! I killed her, _that's_ how I know! I didn't want to do it all, but I _did!_ That's why i care, _that's_ why I'm so interested, so why don't you anser my question? What does _she_ have to do with _you_?" he roared towards the older figure a few meters away.

Before he could do anything, or say anything more, Itachi had disappeared; there was a yank on one shoulder and he was suddenly turned around, and found Itachi's swirling illusions surrounding him; he was down by the lake, but everything was inverted, and white crows with red eyes swirled around him.

This was the Tsukiyomi but it was different from the last time he had seen it... Why was it different...? The location played into his mind, and fury began to build; Itachi was trawling through his memories! Memories that had nothing to do with him! Focusing his chakra he tried to summon a short burst, something to remove the illusion, but it refused to obey him.

He tried using that of the cursed seal instead, but he needed his own chakra for that to work too – damn it, he was stuck and there was nothing he could do! He knew that someone else's chakra would work but there was no-one nearby who would be able to help!

"_...I'm immune to illusions cuz I'm special."_

The words floated into his mind as his brother stomped around inside his memories, and he began to wonder if Naruto could see the future too; injecting the cursed seal with some of her own Kyuubi chakra had seemed like insanity, even though he'd received a sensory boost, but now...

Had she known Itachi would be in the area? Whatever the reason, he had some Kyuubi chakra inside him now, and it stood to reason that was why Naruto was immune to illusions; she always had a secondary source of chakra to jolt her out of illusions. If he could get the Kyuubi chakra to work for him then-

The mere thought alone was enough to jerk him back to the real world, and while he felt consciousness slipping away from him once again (a reaction to the implanted Kyuubi chakra ) he was certain he could see disbelief and... sympathy on his brothers face.

* * *

Naruto opened her eyes to find the walls of Otogakure surrounding her; it seemed the Kyuubi had done it's work as she had anticipated. She did notice low chakra reserves but that was to be expected. Still, she wasn't as achy as she normally was... glancing to either side of the room, she finally sighted Kabuto.

He felt the fluctuation in her chakra, and looked up from one of the the other ninjas he was overseeing a water-based experiment on; there were two test subjects, brothers, and he had been having a lot of headaches with it. If his expression in face of her interruption was anything to go by, be still was.

"You're awake; I was actually beginning to get concerned you know." he said, letting out a surprising sigh of relief.  
"So it would seem... How long was I out?" she asked.

Kabuto gestured for her to sit up, and untied the bandages wrapped around her, examining the flesh wound on her front and back for any signs of bleeding; it was odd to see a still healing scar there. The Kyuubi usually healed them.

"A week; Sasuke's Chidori pierced the edge of your heart as well as your lungs and spine; Orochimaru-sama had to use a life transfer technique for a few minuets before the Kyuubi could start regenerating – you were lucky he was so close to the transfer date that loosing a few months didn't matter, or you might have been beyond help..." he chastised.

Naruto's eyes widened a little at that; she had been torn over whether Sasuke would deal the blow or not, but she hadn't expected the Chidori to do that much damage to her eirther if he did. It must have been the lightning reacting inside her body that damaged her heart. The actual blow hadn't been close enough to do any damage...

"You took a risky gamble there Naruto; do you _really_ know what you're doing?" he asked, his hands starting a scan of her scarred chest, a frown on his face.

For all his Orochimaru-obsessing, Kabuto was actually a friend in some ways; he didn't like the Kyuubi chakra at all, though that was his own fault for not listening when she was first attempting to control her one-tailed state, but he had a lot of respect for her all the same. She didn't like him enough for her to actually trust him though; that was just _stupidity._

"I already told you Kabuto, I know how Sasuke's mind works; by the time I get back to Konoha, he'll be packed before I even have to _ask_ him tojoin..." she replied, catching her tongue before she could say _'join me'_ instead of _'join us'_ or _'join Orochimaru'_.

"That's not what I meant" he replied, his hands pausing as he moved around to her back, focusing on one spot of the scarred flesh there – she could feel her insides healing as he focused, but she was too busy trying to compute his reply to notice much.

"Pardon?" she asked.

"If you think you can do the job, then I'm not going to stop you, but if your feelings surrounding Sasuke are going to get in the way when you go back to Konoha, then I strongly recommend giving up while you're ahead" he informed her bluntly, sill focusing on her back.

Naruto stiffened, not sure whether she should be stunned that Kabuto was offering her advice, or by what he was implying; he couldn't possibly mean what he was saying could he? She'd already admitted that she had a rather complex relationship with Sasuke to herself, but Kabuto couldn't be serious could he?

"There's nothing to _get_ in the way... Did you use yourself as a test subject for Orochimaru's experimental drugs again while I was gone? You know those things fuck up your brain..." she replied, real confusion in her voice.

"If there's nothing to get in the way, why are you so defensive?" he asked, a smug look crossing his face as he returned to the entry wound on her front.

Naruto bit her lip, avoiding his gaze with a frown on his face; he was right. She _was_ being defensive. She didn't like it when he was right; just because he was right didn't mean she wasn't either though! Whether she had developed... deeper attachments to Sasuke than previously or not, it still didn't mean they would cause her any hypothetical problems.

She had intended to come back for him anyway - that she may or may not have stronger opinions of him than... what she had before... was unlikley to interfere with her plans.

"Because I don't like nosy people; did you forget that I have plans of my own? If ensuring Sasuke becomes Orochimaru's next body makes them a reality, I don't _care_ what happens to him." she replied, no longer uncomfortable under Kabuto's warning gaze, but rather her own words.

Kabuto sighed, rolled his eyes and continued his check up; it was longer than his usual ones given the depth of the injury, but he eventually pronounced her fit for travel. Upon hearing the news, Naruto grabbed her clothes from where they had been piled at the end of the bed, and began with pulling on her skirt.

"You should avoid strenuous fighting if you can avoid it; don't even think about using your chakra for anything beyond running, and definitely no tails. It's going to be a few days before you have enough of you own chakra back to maintain proper control, and I don't need to tell you it will only hinder the healing process" he informed her once the examination was over.

Naruto nodded absently as she re-wrapped her bandages across her chest and pulled her orange shirt back on – it appeared to have been mended by one of the minions. She was trying to remember her timings and distances... She had lost a week, and she needed to figure them out for her next steps.

"Kabuto, you said Itachi and Fishy had picked up my trail when we met up on the way to Tanzaku didn't you? How far behind us were they?" she asked, pulling her mesh leggings and gloves on, before pulling on her sandals.

"Itachi ran into Sasuke two days ago; he's back in Konoha now. I had one of my summons follow him for you" Kabuto replied, already knowing what was running through her mind as he handed over her own med-pack and kunai holster.

Putting them on, Naruto hopped down from the bed and headed for the door with a lazy wave of thanks; she had buisness to finish in Konoha, and a stupid injury like being impaled by a Chidori wasn't going to get in her way.

* * *

Sakura didn't really know how she expected to find Naruto trawling the streets of Konoha as she was, but she had to do something. If only to ease her worry over both the blonde girl and her team-mate.

Sasuke had been barley a shell of his old self when he returned from his training trip with Jiraiya and the new Hokage; word of Naruto's death at his had was the biggest piece of gossip in the village right now, but he had shut himself up in his flat as soon as he had arrived in Konoha.

Sakura had been torn between being relived that he had finally moved past her, or grieving for the both of them for two days; it was then that it suddenly clicked that Naruto wasn't dead. It was just like her to do something like this to Sasuke if it was in her best interests; no-one would believe she had lived after a Chidori through the chest, especially one from Sasuke. Especially not Sasuke himself.

It was too easy; of course, she was certain the village officials already knew that, but Naruto had sneaked back into the village after the invasion. Security had been furiously high then, despite the destruction. Sakura was certain that not only could she do it again, but that she already _had_.

She must have wandered the streets aimlessly for close to five hours before heading back to to her home in the village centre; her father took one look at her, and then headed for the kitchen to make some cheer-up food. The chocolate-banana crepes almost worked, but he didn't seem surprised when she headed to bed earlier than she usually did.

She didn't sleep; she sat on the edge of her bed and stared out of her window towards the Uchiha district; normally, she couldn't see it, but many of the buildings that had once been in the way were destroyed during the invasion; she couldn't even begin to think of how Sasuke felt. People were saying he had run into his brother on the way back too...

She sighed and ran her hands through her hair before she started to unfasten her shuriken pouch and kunai holster with worry and frustration in her gestures; she was so absorbed in her own worries that she almost didn't feel the chakra present in her room until she was about to start changing into her night clothes.

Freezing her movements, she cast a suspicious gaze around the room; she had only felt it once, but for a moment she could have sworn... Narrowing her eyes she merged her fingers into a hand seal and spoke a single word as she fluctuated her own chakra.

"Release!"

The illusion melted away to reveal the very person she had been searching for perched on top of her dresser with an amused eyebrow raised; Naruto gave her a slimy, slithery sort of smile, and delicately waved the fingers of her left hand at her.

"I'm impressed Sakura – even Sensei has to concentrate a little more to find me when I use that illusion, but you didn't even take five minuets to notice me – guess you Harunos really are suited for illusions and fiddly stuff like that..." Naruto remarked in an offhand manner as she stared at her.

"I _knew_ it...! I knew you weren't dead! Not right away but... Don't you have any _feeling_ left in you? Sasuke... He... Do you even _care_ what you _did_ to him? " Sakura whispered, her whisper a harsh demand as her fingers searched for the kunai holster that had been discarded on her bed only moments before.

Naruto watched her, that amused look still on her face, before a yellow flash filled her room – a blinding flash of light. Once it faded, she realised that her shuriken pouch and kunai holster were gone; glancing towards Naruto, she found them on her lap. Naruto didn't look like she had moved a muscle at all...

"Did that Chidori fry your brain cells instead of killing you like Sasuke thinks it did? The Anbu are on high alert Naruto! _Get out!_ Get out and leave us _alone!_ You've done enough damage already!" Sakura hissed at the blonde girl directly opposite her.

Naruto listened calmly, before a flicker of surprise crossed her face, and she smirked.  
"Aww, you worried about little old me Sakura?" she asked, hopping off the dresser and leaning in towards her on light footsteps.

Sakura stared at her, before giving her incredibly reluctant, nonsensical reply.  
"...Yes."

_**

* * *

**_

_**Itachi finally shows up! Itachi, Itachi Itachiiiiii! **_***insert fan-girl squeal and dance*****_. I've been waiting to write him in for ages! I know it isn't very different from canon at this point, but I love him to pieces...! I can promise that he will make more of an appearance in part two, but that's all you get of him for now... Unless I can sneak him in again somehow... _*rifles through yet-to-be-published chapters and ponders editing them... again***

_**I will stop torturing Sasuke though – maybe not **_**manipulating**_**him, but I promise I won't torture him so much. In part one anyway. Can't make no promises for part two though. **__**Title is **_**'Rolling In The Deep' ****_by Adele - I love that song to death. I think it fits SasuNaru all over, not just for this chapter. It also fits Sakura a little bit, in regards to Naruto at the end of the chapter..._**

_**Hope you all liked the chapter :)  
Nat.  
xxx**_

I had fun writing this chapter – mostly because I enjoy torturing Sasuke a little too much, and because Sakura is **finally****_coming into the role I have planned for her. If any of you have ideas about her role, feel free to guess. There's a hint in the flashback! _**

**_Kabuto is fun to write too – I think if Naruto had joined Oto, they would have a weird friendship of sorts, so I like writing Kabbsy..._**


	13. Part I: All The Right Moves

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN  
- - ALL THE RIGHT MOVES - -**

* * *

_******'****Absence diminishes little passions and increases great ones, as wind extinguishes candles and fans a fire' – Francois de La Rochefoucauld.**_

* * *

Sakura felt the hairs prickle on the back of her neck as Naruto stared at her; this close, she could feel the Kyuubi chakra stirring in Naruto's chakra network, lurking there, ready to pounce.

This was so confusing; Naruto believed Konoha deserved what they got from her hand, and if that was in any way true, it meant she was split between her best friend and the village. And even if not, she was _still_ split between them...

Naruto was the reason she had the confidence to even be standing here; when she'd first entered the academy, she hadn't made many friends because the kids were all either civilian wannabes, or came from the big clans that looked down on her own. Then people had started teasing her about her forehead...

Naruto had randomly appeared in their class one day instead of the usual start-of-year entry, and completely changed that.

She hadn't even known her for that long, only a few years compared to the friendships between Ino's team or Kiba's team that had been there since birth. It hadn't been long, but she'd dragged confidence back up in her veins, and she was even able to let her real opinions out on occasion. Then Naruto had _'died'_, and the whole thing had started again, only to be picked up by Ino.

She knew she was being stupid, but she wanted something that could at least justify Naruto's hatred for the village in her mind, something concrete, something that would justify Naruto's corrupting of her team mate... Was that wrong? Was that really so wrong?

"What do you want Naruto? You wouldn't be here unless you had a good reason when you could be talking to Sasuke, right?" Sakura asked with a sigh, tearing her green eyes from Naruto's hard blue ones.

"How long has the Haruno clan been in Konoha? You don't originate from the general Konoha area during the clan wars do you?" Naruto asked, turning away from her and hopping back to her seat on top of the dresser – she always used to sit there when they were kids.

The question threw her for a few moments; why did Naruto want to know about her family history or where they came from? She didn't really know that much about it to be honest, but Naruto wouldn't ask unless she had a good reason to so...

"I don't know the exact details but we were originally based closer to the coast; I know my ancestors were taken prisoner at some point during the clan wars, but they were released when Konoha was founded and we've been here ever since..." she replied, trying to find any sort of link in all this to Naruto.

What did she want to know about her family for? If she wanted to know about someone's family, it should be Sasuke's right? She had always complained she didn't know about her own when they were in the academy, that the third wouldn't tell her about them... Surely now would be the perfect time to break into the records and find out...?

Something in that thought snapped into place, jerking a memory to the forefront of her mind, from the preliminary rounds. Sasuke had been asking Kakashi-sensei about Naruto's fighting style...

"_It's an old style – it was used by the Uzumaki clan during the third ninja war, but I assumed it was lost when Uzushiogakure was destroyed. The majority of the users died, so it's nearly extinct now..."_

Uzushiogakure; Uzumaki clan. _Naruto._ Naruto already knew about her parents, her family. They had been descendants of that village, they had to be, and Sakura was certain that the reason for Naruto's hatred was linked into it... Kakashi-sensei said Uzushiogakure had been destroyed during the war but...

"I knew it! I_ knew _I wasn't off my rocker for letting you live! I knew it would pay off in the end!" Naruto chortled happily, though it was a creepy, sinister sort of happiness that crept into her voice.

She began rummaging around in her medical pouch, searching for something; Sakura braced herself for any oncoming attacks, but instead a scroll was produced. Naruto unfurled it across her knees, and bit her thumb.

"What are you doing?" Sakura demanded before Naruto could swipe her thumb over what looked like a variety of storage seals.  
"Relax Sakura – you're _way_ too valuable for me to kill you now" Naruto muttered, opening the seals with a swipe of her thumb.

A set of folders appeared in her hands, and Sakura's eyes widened when she saw the Hokage's seal on one of the covers; she was right, Naruto _had_ been poking around in the archives, but why did she need so many...? Peering at the folders, she could see several names; Naruto's, Sasuke's... _Orochimaru?_ And _Itachi?_ Wasn't that Sasuke's brother...?

"What happened to Uzushiogakure?" she asked hesitantly as Naruto discarded a folder with that very name on it onto the pile building on her lap; Naruto looked up from the remaining few files in her hand, and her smirk broadened into an actual grin, a familiar one.

"You're as smart as ever, aren't you Sakura?" she asked, and then she threw one of the files at her.

Glancing down at it, she was half surprised to find her own name there, but much more surprised with the name that came after the slash. Why would two clans be in one folder at all, let alone her poxy little clan with one like this? She looked up from the folder to stare at Naruto in suspicious confusion; what was she thinking by giving her this, what was she plotting?

Before she could ask, another folder was thrown towards her, the one with Uzushiogakure printed on the top corner.

"Hurry up and read it Sakura – I have plans to make and I'm going to need that folder when you're done with it. I'll let you decide if you want to read your own at some other time – I've sealed it up with a blood seal see..." Naruto said in a fairly quiet voice, her eyes flicking towards the window.

Sakura held one hand at the edge of the cover, biting her lip as she considered her options; she could just ignore both of these files and continue living her normal life. It would probably end up with her having to fight Naruto one day, but it was the logical choice to make.

Or she could pick the illogical choice; she could open this file and find out what had turned her best friend into the girl standing in front of her now, and maybe find out what _she_ had to do with Naruto's plots at a later date. It would not be as easy as the first option but...

She opened the file and began to read the contents, her eyed gradually widening from the information being revealed to her from just the first page of personal training and development in Naruto's file...

She knew about child prodigies, or being given specialized training, but this went beyond that, and it wasn't even the half of it... One of the military serial numbers caught her eye in the report, and they widened; 012420 – that was _Sai's_ registration number! Why was he in here?

"Sai was one of the ROOT members they used to try and get me to use the Kyuubi – he's been placed on Team 7 in my stead to keep tabs on you and Sasuke... Us three make Danzo very nervous two at a time, never mind together..." Naruto said, answering her unasked question.

Sakura kept on reading, and what she found shattered her view of Konoha. She knew that every village, every ninja even, did some pretty nasty things at least once in their time for the good of their village but this...

"W-Why did you show me this?" Sakura asked, feeling the horrible onslaught of tears encroaching on her tear ducts – why did she have to be born with weak tear ducts?

"Because... I _trust_ you, much as I hate admitting that out loud" Naruto replied, pretences dropped from her voice for once.

Three little words... They were like a kunai being rammed into her chest, but at the same time like a healing technique. Sakura wondered if the confusion, relief and various other spiralling emotions would be anything like those Sasuke would feel if... If he ever heard a different set of three words from Naruto.

She had no way to know if what Naruto was telling her was right, for all she knew this could be a huge trick, but she decided she didn't want to know if it was. She wanted to believe those three words more than anything, and so she flung her arms around Naruto's neck, and let her tears fall onto the shorter girl's shoulder.

"Why didn't you _tell_ me? You could have told _me!_ I wouldn't have... I wouldn't..."

She couldn't get it out through her own sniffles, or Naruto's shoulder, so once she felt her tear ducts going back to normal, she wiped her eyes, then turned her attention back to the scroll with her own family name on. She didn't know how it had happened, but she suddenly found herself in a position that almost mirrored that of her team mate.

After what she had seen in Naruto's file, she knew that whatever she found on her own family history was going to be of similar worth, and may just infect her with the same hatred that had infected Naruto. It was the only reason Naruto would even give it to her, and she wondered about the Uchiha files she had caught a glimpse of...

But after seeing that file, how could she _not_ want to know? She turned back to Naruto, hesitating only momentarily in her request to remove the blood-seals on it; Naruto obliged, but before she could read it several things happened.

Naruto's eyes narrowed after a glance to the window, and then she kicked her in the gut, sending her crashing into the dresser before she could even see the movement beginning. The two files in her hand were hidden by the resulting destruction of wood and escaped clothing, and then an ANBU appeared in the middle of her room.

The high-speed fight was impossible for her eyes to keep up with, but even more impressive was the force in the blows that were exchanged; it was especially evident when the ANBU managed to send Naruto crashing into her floor-length mirror. As Naruto stood up, Sakura's eyes widened on sight of the bloody glass lodged in her side, but Naruto seemed oblivious.

She resumed her attack with twice the force and speed of before – she was so fast... It was like a blur, a cyclone surrounding a mountain... It made Sakura wonder just how much Naruto had been holding back in their own fight, but only for a moment. Naruto slammed the ANBU to the floor by the neck, her free hand, swiftly pulling a kunai from her holster.

Seeing what was about to happen Sakura darted free from the rubble of her dresser and grabbed hold of Naruto's wrist before she could bring the weapon down on the man's skull. Naruto froze, her eyes turning in her direction despite keeping her face locked in the ANBU's direction.

Sakura wasn't quite sure if she was stopping her for the man's life or to keep up appearances, so she couldn't answer Naruto's unasked question, but the ANBU broke free before she had the chance; Naruto was kicked against the wall with enough force to put a largish crater in it, but not completely through it.

The ANBU sent a hurl of tiny shuriken and makibishi towards her, and while her arms stopped some of them, a few more sunk into her already glass-pierced gut. Alarmingly, those few shuriken were enough to force some sputters of blood from Naruto's lips. Wiping the blood with the back of her hand, she glared at the ANBU before lunging at him once again.

Grasping him firmly by the neck, they both disappeared in a flash of yellow light. Sakura sat for a few stunned moments in the debris that littered her room, before she remembered the files; that ANBU must have been watching them, she had to hide them before another ANBU came to investigate!

She could already hear her father's footsteps on the stairs - she was surprised he hadn't come earlier, but he probably recognised Naruto's chakra. If his hints in the days after the invasion meant anything, then he must have been giving her the chance to investigate for herself...

Could she...? The ANBU would definitely ask him questions once word spread but... Yes, he was safe. He kept his dislike of Konoha between the family. The ANBU wouldn't think he was hiding anything, and he would hide the files if he really, really wanted her to make her thoughts on this whole mess.

Sakura had the files in her hand as her father entered the room.

* * *

Sasuke stared at the ceiling of his room, not even from the comfort of his bed, but from the floor; he hadn't been out since arriving back at the village, but he did spend a lot of time staring blankly, trying to ignore the burning in his retinas as they adjusted to his new Mangekyo Sharingan.

He didn't know how else to cope with both the guilt and grief of Naruto's death, and the confusing doubts the encounter with his brother had rooted in his mind. It especially didn't help that Naruto had hinted that there was more to Itachi than he knew of before either...

He wanted to turn everything back, stop himself from charging that Chidori in the first place, stop those stupid thoughts that he'd rather see Naruto dead than the enemy she had turned into, see her acting like Itachi. Now that he knew how much of a difference it was between thought and actions, he'd do anything to turn it back.

He doubted even Orochimaru could do that though. His hand absently went to the mark on his neck at the thought of the man; he hadn't thought of going to Otogakure at all since killing Naruto; for some reason he didn't want to even think about that place now. Was it because Naruto wasn't going to be there?

Naruto had given him this seal, not Orochimaru – she had explained it, she had been the one to offer him the power it contained. To offer him her help, not Orochimaru. He may have sent her, but she was offering the power, not Orochimaru... Now that she was gone... the mark might as well be invisible for all he cared.

He had the Mangekyo now anyway – what did he need a cursed seal for? He had the same eyes as his brother, at an even higher price. He hadn't even wanted it – why would he want power that he'd gained the same way as Itachi had? Still, he had them all the same, so it would be almost immoral not to use them after what they had cost him.

He was going to find out the truth before using them though; he was sick of all these... half-truths. Naruto had dealt them in spades, he knew that, and now she was dead. Because he'd believed them. Never again – he would dig up as much information about his brother, his clan, that he could find before going weasel hunting.

Naruto had, coupled with Itachi's reactions to his questions when they met, placed enough doubt in his mind to at least try. It wasn't as hard a decision as he'd thought it would be – he realised a part of him wanted to find out it was some sort of huge misunderstanding, that his brother was innocent. Or he was missing out on some other important factors at least.

He owed it to Naruto to try; it didn't completely erase the guilt from his mind, it didn't come close, but it was a start. He had to start somewhere, even if he wanted to wallow in grief for the rest of his life... Naruto would be disgusted with him if he did that.

The growl of his stomach told him that, after two days of ignoring the food Sakura had sliding around the edge of his front door since coming back with Jiraiya and Tsunade, he needed to eat something.

Pulling one of the bowl from the freezer, he stuffed some udon with some kind of tomato sauce down his throat cold – he couldn't quite be bothered to heat it up. He wasn't surprised that Sakura knew he liked tomatoes, it was somewhat spooky considering he'd only ever told Naruto, but he found himself a little more open to appreciating the thought.

Slumping onto his kitchen floor with the bowl of tomato noodles, he decided he'd have to clear things up properly with Sakura once he got out again. He'd be blind not to notice that her fan-girl crush had gained some depth, and honestly now that she had grown up a bit, he even appreciated it, but he had to clear it up that he wasn't interested.

Being led around by Naruto had been an experience he didn't want to put Sakura through by accident; she _was_ his team-mate. She and Sai were very annoying, and she had only recently been of any _use_, but teams were... almost family. There was no way they were the real thing, but they were still important.

He was so absorbed in his attempt to distract himself that he almost missed the heavy thud from the room he had just left; his had automatically went to his kunai holster (even emotionally incapacitated, he was still on his guard), but even as he raced through the doorway to confront the intruder, the familiarity of the person's chakra began to penetrate his sense for it.

He didn't believe it. It couldn't be her – he'd _killed her! _He'd been covered in her blood, the scent of still lingered when he didn't try to forget about it. He repeated that over and over in his mind as he approached the blonde girl coughing up blood on his carpet, but chakra like Naruto's was impossible to imitate.

As realisation fell, the kunai in his hand fell to the floor, and after slow steps across the carpet he knelt down in front of her – as if too much movement might shatter the image in front of him. She gave him one coherent glance, and then fell completely to the floor, blood leaking around a wedge of glass in her stomach.

He... He didn't know what to do. He was having trouble believing that it really was Naruto in front of him, but she needed help. Medical help specifically, and that was not something he knew how to give. There were smaller wounds too... Damn it, he didn't care if he'd fallen asleep or what! He wasn't going to see her die again! Not again! Not for a third time!

He didn't know if moving her was the best idea, but he did his best to carefully shift her from the floor onto his bed instead; after that he was stumped. He stuffed some tea towels around the gaping chunk of glass to soak up the blood, but he didn't dare move it for fear of causing even more damage...

After examining the smaller wounds, he found them to have been cause by small shuriken and makibishi that had lodged themselves inside her, deeply, enough to cause some damage; she must have been caught either entering or leaving the village by the ANBU...

Were they still looking for her? If so wouldn't they search here for her first? The ANBU weren't exactly oblivious to the fact they were... What _were_ they exactly? He didn't really know. He'd stew over that later though, he had to do something, but he wasn't a medic! Naruto was the medic, and a damn good one! She'd healed him from the effects of the cursed seal hadn't she?

What about the _Kyuubi? _Why hadn't she healed herself? The thought of her running out of chakra was laughable, so why couldn't she heal herself? Why wasn't the Kyuubi healing the smaller wounds? There were thousands of _whys_ circling his head, and he didn't know how to distinguish the important ones...

A harsh banging on his front door caught him off guard, and he was torn between jumping out of the window with her and fighting off whoever was on the other side of it; had the ANBU found her already? Dam it, what was she even doing here? What was she up to this time?

"Sasuke, it's me! Open the door! I know she's there!"

Sakura? How did Sakura know Naruto was here? Had she seen here? It was the only explanation he could think of but if she came in... Damn it, what was he supposed to do?

"Sasuke, open the door! I'm not going to turn her in, I swear! She's injured right? I can heal her! Just let me in before the ANBU show up!" she continued, giving the door anther rap.

Something... was different in her voice; he actually believed her when she said she wasn't going to turn Naruto in, and against his better judgement, he let her inside the room. Sakura darted inside, the hood of her dark jumper falling back to reveal her tell-tale hair, and pulling a large book from the bag on her shoulder as she approached Naruto.

"What... How did you... Did you see her?" he demanded. Sakura didn't answer.

Closing the door again and going back to using tea towels to soak up the blood, he watched as Sakura knelt on the bed beside Naruto and pulled of all but her orange under-shorts and her chest bandages to get at her injuries. Once satisfied, she began flipping through the pages of what appeared to be a medical textbook.

"She was at my house! She was... Oh god, I don't know what she's doing or why she came but... That ANBU came in and she... She was showing me something and... She said she... Konoha... I knew she'd go to you, so once the ANBU squad stopped asking questions I sneaked out... I had to wait in case they followed me but..."

Sakura didn't seem to realise she was was both rambling and making absolutely no sense while doing so; Sasuke didn't really care to point this out to her. He didn't know how much Sakura had learned from Kakashi about medical techniques, and he didn't dare distract her when she was using a _textbook_ for reference.

She was Naruto's best chance right now; Sakura gingerly and carefully removed a small collection of miniature shuriken and makibishi from the smaller wounds on Naruto's body, and seemed to do a halfway decent job of healing them before moving onto the chunks of glass particularly the largest one.

It was here she began looking at the textbook for reference; she was visibly sweating and given that she hadn't used much chakra, even for her tiny reserves, he guessed it was from the control she was exerting. After a few tries of glancing back and forth, she stopped before even starting and gave him the book.

Following her lead, he held it open at the relevant page in front of her, secretly glad to be doing something useful even if that had not been Sakura's intention; now that she only had to flick her eyes up to glance at the directions, Sakura started the slow process of removing the chunk of glass, tears bubbling down her cheeks in the process.

A green glow grew around her hand, which she held as close to the glass and the as she could, whilst her other hand slowly - very slowly – pulled the obstruction free. She was healing the wound as she removed the glass to stop Naruto from bleeding to death.

In that moment, Sasuke took back every comment he had ever made about Sakura being useless.

* * *

Once she had finished, she began scanning both hands over Naruto's torso, but more specifically in the area where he had pierced her with the Chidori. Her face crumpled into a frown as the green chakra seeped into Naruto's body, and then she looked at him for the first time since arriving.

"Sasuke... When... What I meant to ask is... How did you...?" she didn't finish her sentence, but he knew what she meant.  
"Chidori..." he replied, almost too quiet to be heard.

"That explains it then; the lightning must have damaged her chakra system almost beyond repair - it's still healing... The Kyuubi isn't doing it because it would just make it worse. I thought it was odd when she didn't use any techniques against that ANBU except to leave... She has hardly any chakra of her own at the moment..." Sakura mumbled, half to herself, half to Sasuke.

She seemed to be transplanting chakra directly into Naruto's system, but after almost four hours, she had to stop for fear of draining her own reserves; Naruto didn't look to be on death's door any more, and most of the worry had disappeared from Sakura's face, so he felt it safe to relax a little.

He also felt it wasn't too out of line to give Sakura some of the leftovers she had brought round earlier in the week; once again, it was cold, but she gulped the food down with several glasses of water all the same.

"Why are you helping her?" he asked after a long moment of silence and watching Naruto's breathing increase.  
"Why _shouldn't_ I?" Sakura demanded, sounding rather angry.  
"Well you haven't exactly been her biggest fan Sakura – you've been on your guard around her since the day she got here!"

"And with _good reason_, or did you forget she helped that snake kill the Third?" Sakura snapped back before devouring more of the tomato noodles – Sasuke reasoned that hunger and exhaustion made her cranky.

"I _saw_ it Sakura ! It'd be hard to forget...! Look, you know what I mean! Just answer the question!" her replied, trying to sound calmer and less agitated about this whole god damn mess than he really was.

Sakura finished the food and levelled a calm, resolute gaze at him as she put the medical textbook back in her backpack and pulled it on. She headed back to the door she had barged in through almost four hours previously, but stopped before walking through it to answer his question.

"I know... I was just jealous at first, but Naruto was, _is_, my best friend... I got all mad at you for letting the past cloud your judgement, but I've... I've done exactly the same thing... I... I won't get in your way over this any more. ... I promise." she said quietly; Sasuke was certain if he could see her face it'd be bright red.

And she was probably crying. Again. Jesus, what was it with Sakura and the crying thing? She was like a human waterworks with bad plumbing! Still... If it hadn't been for her then... Maybe she wasn't as bad as he first thought she was. Not really.

"Sakura..."  
"...What?" she sniffled.  
"Thank you."

He heard her breath hitch in surprise, and watched her wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, before Sakura turned the door handle, walked out, and closed it behind her. Once Sakura was gone, Sasuke found himself suddenly left to try and figure out his other problem; Naruto herself.

Now that she was not bleeding, the panic that had grabbed him and shaken rational though from his mind was being replaced by anger, and the desire to get the truth behind Naruto once and for all; he could take being led around by the nose if it was going to benefit him, but after going through the process of supposedly killing her, he wanted _answers_.

They didn't have to be about Itachi, or Orochimaru, or anything else, but he wanted the truth from Naruto, and he's be damned if he didn't find something out when she woke up. After that he didn't know what he'd do, but he was getting some clarification on way or another.

Of that he was certain.

* * *

**_Finally got a moment to update this story! I highly reccomend paying attention to the little details here, for the sake of later plot. It won't make any sense, and it's _very_ subtle in this chapter, but look out for them all the same._**

**_Sasuke has finally decided to try growing a backbone now, but... Well, you'll just have to wait for the next chapter to see what happens. There will be a lemon in it, so have a heads up there. Just a warning, though I did put an M-Rating on this, and my M-stories _usually_ have a lemon at some point so... _**

**_Enter at you own risk; then again, if you want me to put up a clean version too, lemme know kay? You'll have a short chapter, but there will be no nasty. Title is _'All The Right Moves'_ by One Republic - one of my favourite bands they are. XD_**

**_Hope you liked the chapter!_**  
**_Nat_**  
**_xxx_**


	14. Part I: I Don't Believe You

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN**  
**- - I DON'T BELIEVE YOU - -**

* * *

**_'It was the man I deceived the most that I loved the most' – Marguerite Duras._**

* * *

When she woke up, Naruto knew that she wasn't going to be leaving Sasuke's flat without some sort of in-depth explanation, but she was prepared for that this time. At least, she had thought she was...

Actually being in the same room again had left her unexpectedly nervous – that _was_ her own fault, she supposed, but she hadn't expected it to be as strong as it was. She glanced in the direction of the burning gaze being directed towards her, and the anger bubbling over Sasuke's features despite his calm face was... unnerving. _Very_ unnerving.

She shivered, and noted that most of her clothes were missing; Someone had healed her injuries from that stupid ANBU, and thanks to a transplant of chakra, she could tell that her chakra network was better than it had been. Had Sakura followed her? It didn't really matter – she was fit enough to stand.

She restrained herself to sitting up instead though; Sasuke was leaning against the wall, watching her with furious confusion; she noted that the curtains across his windows were drawn, but they might have been drawn when she arrived – she couldn't quite remember.

"Explain. _Now_" Sasuke demanded through gritted teeth.

Naruto almost winced visibly at the tone in his voice; she had expected this, Sasuke was easily pissed off at the best of times, but this really was a bit more than she was comfortable with. For a fleeting instant, she wondered if she had pushed him too far this time... but the fact that he was willing to listen dashed that notion.

If she'd really pushed him too far, he wouldn't be willing to do that. He'd just ignore her. That calmed the momentary worry, and she recollected herself.

"I'm not telling you about Itachi – he's irrelevant at the moment. I'll tell you everything else, but I'm not telling you that" she stated bluntly.

Maybe it wasn't the best idea to withhold information like that from him, but she needed it as a fail-safe, _just_ in case he was unwilling once she'd told him everything else. Sasuke's irritation began to show on his face with the statement, but she held his glare, and when he broke the look she knew he had relented.

"You might as well sit down - this is going to take a while to explain in detail" Naruto said, indicating a spot at the end of the bed with a nod; Sasuke sat down, but his eyes remained cool and he had yet to utter another word.

"How much do you know about Uzushiogakure?" Naruto asked – it was the best place to start after all. If she was going to explain this, she might as well find out just how much she had to explain.

Sasuke frowned in concentration, recalling in the information he knew; she doubted he would know much, but if Sakura had been quick enough to notice something about where her motives came from, then Sasuke was certainly capable of doing the same thing. A few seconds later, he spoke for the second time since she had woken up.

"I know it was destroyed, and that it's where your clan originally came from; it was supposed to be pretty close to Konoha as far as politics and war went. Kakashi and Gai seemed... I get the impression it wasn't a small pushover village like Kusa, but that's about it..." he replied.

Well, that was more than she had expected, but still not much.

"It was smaller than Kusa; the old settlement is on a volcanic coral island just off the coast of Wave country, but it was very strong. My family, we had a common ancestry with the Senju clan, so that's where the relations came from. My clan specialised in sealing, and that's what the public reason for the villages destruction was, but that was just a cover..." Naruto began, absently twisting the covers between her fists.

It didn't matter how many times she explained this, went through it in her mind, it always had her struggling to control her temper, and brought the Kyuubi out by a fraction. That had never chanced since she had first told Kimimaro about it a few weeks after joining Otogakure.

"Since my family was so proficient with seals, the first Hokage entrusted them with sealing of the Kyuubi in the first Jinchuriki. No-one batted an eyelid when they got married. She lived into the reign of the third Hokage, and when she died, my mother was chosen as the next Jinchuriki..."

Sasuke remained silent, but now that she was talking some of the blatant anger in that silence had been somewhat mitigated, and for that she was relived. It was bad enough repeating all of this for the second time in her life. Since telling Kimimaro, she hadn't actually told anyone else directly.

"...after she had arrived in Konoha, the village was destroyed by Iwa and Amegakure; the clans all dispersed themselves, going to different villages, sealing away their bloodlines to keep the other villages from taking advantage of them. It seemed like a tragedy of the war, but those ninjas..."

Naruto dipped her head so he didn't have see the Kyuubi creeping into her vision; she could feel her nails growing , beginning to break through the fabric of the duvet.

"...they were disguised Konoha ninjas; Konoha didn't like how closely tied _'their'_ Jinchurikis were to Uzushiogakure. By the time of the Third, the alliance had dwindled, and the council just saw Uzushiogakure as a foreign village they had a decent peace treaty with... They didn't want _'their'_ Jinchuriki under _'foreign'_ control..."

Naruto heard the slow, but still sharp intake of breath that signified Sasuke was connecting the dots, but the silence was the cue to continue, and she did.

"...a few months after my mother had settled in Konoha, and had the Kyuubi sealed in her, the council sent a small force that had been trained in sealing themselves to destroy the village with foreign headbands. Since Konoha knew how to counteract the defences, and had a far larger force, it was all my clan could do to seal away the bloodlines in Uzushiogakure and flee!"

Naruto could feel her hands beginning to shake ever s slightly as her emotions began to take over; it was even the half of what this place had done to her family, to her, to Sasuke... even Sakura had plenty reason to hate this place! This was barley the surface of what made her hate this place, even if it was the deepest rooted.

"...that wasn't enough for them though! I still don't know what happened when I was born, but I know the council had been planning on removing the Kyuubi from my mother before both my parents died... I didn't have any relatives in the village to take care of me, so the council did instead! I didn't remember until I joined Orochimaru and had some memory seals removed but... lets just say I had training before I even knew how to say the _word_ academy... They were that desperate to control the Kyuubi!"

Her voice rose as she finished the main points – there were a few more odd details, but that was the best overview she could give him concerning her reasons for leaving Konoha for the moment. She was still shaking, and if hadn't been for years of proper training with Orochimaru, she wouldn't have been able to control the kyuubi even with the _'help'_ from Konoha.

The pale hands that clasped around her own fisted ones were surprising, but they stopped the shakes, and the Kyuubi began to recede in response to the familiar touch. Looking back up at Sasuke again, she could see that the anger was not gone, but was simply accompanied by the more immediate understanding.

"How did you find out about all that?" Sasuke asked.

She could blame him for the slightly hesitant, disbelieving tone in his voice. Scanning the room for her med-pack, she found it on a coffee table opposite the sofa at the end of Sasuke's bed. After a few steps towards it she pulled out the scroll containing the files. She didn't have her file, it had been left with Sakura, but a look at the Hokage's seal on his own file should be enough to convince him.

She explained how she had ended up in the Hokage's office in the first place, and that it had been there that Orochimaru had found her. Briefly explaining how long it had taken to make her decision, she unsealed one of the folders from her scroll – she didn't have to worry about him opening it since she had put a blood seal of her own design on it.

"That's not my file, but they're pretty much the same" she informed him, sitting back down on the bed and handing him the file.

His eyes widened, and then narrowed when he recognised his brother's name at the top of the file; He glanced back at her, in confusion, before he picked up on the double meaning in her words. He tried opening it once, experimentally, but didn't look surprised to find it full of blank pages.

"You aren't working for Orochimaru are you? What are you after other than revenge Naruto? What do you want from him?" he asked, examining the file, searching for a way to remove the seal hiding the information from him. Good luck finding it – her seals were invisible unless she injected them with some of her own chakra.

"Several things really; I need somewhere to work from right now, and I need the help he's given me in regards to the Kyuubi but mostly... I need the information I have access to with him. He's dealt with a lot of people, unsavoury and savoury, and I need that if I'm going do to this place what it did to Uzushiogakure..." she replied bluntly.

He didn't look as alarmed as he might have a few weeks ago, knowing that she wanted to turn his home to rubble, but he did maintain the analysing attitude.

"...I'm only working for Orochimaru as long as he's useful; as soon as he outlives that, I'm leaving Otogakure. Soon. I've been planning on it for years – it's a simple case of tying up loose ends" she finished, her thoughts lingering in Kimimaro's direction.

She'd only gotten as far as she had with her plans because of his help in the first year of her arrival. She hadn't told him anything _important_ in years, but he definitely knew too much for one of Orochimaru's loyal puppies. He was one of those loose ends she'd have to take care of, but just how was a bit more complicated than the thought.

She couldn't afford any direct moves against Orochimaru just yet; killing his original choice of vessel and favourite lackey just like that was _too_ direct. Her eyes glanced towards Sasuke; maybe using him again wouldn't be the best idea, given the amount of trouble she was already in but... It would solve the problem of blame, and help convince him...

"And where do I fit into this?" he asked, finally giving up with the folder and setting his eyes back on her own.

"At the moment... You're just a way to make sure I stay in Orochimaru's favour; of course I have plans for you, but it's not like I can't use someone else instead. Kimimaro'd probably do..." she mumbled the last as a random thought, but the hard set that his eyes took on told her the tiny suggestion had served it's purpose.

She rose as if to pack up and leave, and felt Sasuke's hand on her shoulder seconds before she had taken her second step; one sharp tug on her shoulder, and she was flat on her back, the dark haired boy pinning her down with his Sharingan in his eyes.

* * *

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke snapped.

He'd received a lot of information within the past... it must have been close to two hours since she had woken up, and his views of Konoha were nowhere near as rose coloured as they had been the day before.

All sense of sympathy and understanding had been forgotten with the words she had just spoken though; he knew he was falling into another trap, but the galling thing about those words was that Naruto _meant_ them. She was goading him, but she would just as easily hold herself to those words, and that notion made his blood boil.

Naruto looked up at him, her calm face back on after one of the more notable losses of control he had seen in her. He'd been expecting a change in his opinions of her once he'd found out the truth, or at least the main parts of it, but it wasn't there. The only thing there was stupid, irrational jealousy.

"It means I don't need you if you're joining _Otogakure_" Naruto replied, not in the least fazed by the aggression in his actions, voice, expression.

He let those words sink in, picking out the real word in them; she didn't want him in Otogakure if it wasn't for her instead of Orochimaru. Several emotions were clashing together inside his head, anger, frustration, and...something else he wasn't certain he could name out loud just yet.

Acknowledgement of it was enough, especially with everything going through his head. It was so frustrating – why did she have to make everything a fight, or a game? What was the point? She already proven that she would win that every time hadn't she...? He didn't know how she was alive but...

He collapsed on top of her, his hands leaving her wrists to pull her into a crushing embrace, hiding his face in her shoulder for the sake of his pride – there wasn't much of it left, and he wanted to keep hold of it. He didn't want any more mind games with her though, and that feeling was much stranger...

"Why did you let me do that when you knew I didn't want to?" he demanded, though the force of it was somewhat weak.

Naruto didn't move or say anything for several moments, then she returned the honest show of emotions by mimicking the actions of his arms, clamping them around his neck.

"You want power; that's what I gave you Sasuke... I guess I didn't completely expect you to take it up though..." she mumbled.

And of course, with that admission the guilt was back, and any thoughts of resistance were utterly banished from his mind for good; it was one thing to have killed her when he knew he was being goaded. It was another when she hadn't actually believed he could do it in the honest corner of her mind.

"I didn't..."  
"I know..."

No. She didn't know at all; He slackened his arms enough to bring her face into his line of sight,and kissed her – he dropped his hold of her body to lace his fingers through the yellow threads of her hair, forcing her low bunches loose as he held her lips steady in her surprise.

She didn't respond for a for a few, seemingly unending seconds, but then she kissed back, and some sort of switch was flipped. The tentative action changed, and the overwhelming heat that had come over him in the hospital returned. If she hadn't parted his lips and brushed her tongue against his first, he might have forced her lips open.

He dragged his tongue against her, over her lips as her breath brushed his lips; he could feel the slow grow of her canines, of her nails as she tugged his lips closer by pulling on his hair. He could feel heat rushing everywhere; it was deliriously intoxicating, or was that just Naruto?

He felt the chakra in Naruto's coils stirring beneath her skin as he moved his hands, haltingly running them over her skin, letting one travel lower to her thigh; he wasn't really certain on what he was doing, but judging by the way Naruto tugged the roots of his hair with even more ferocity, she liked it.

He pulled her against him, moving his lips from her lips to her neck; he had a theory he wanted to test out based on their past escapades. Keeping her pulled again him, he burrowed his fingers beneath her chest bandages, and gave one of her breasts a mild squeeze.

He felt the Kyuubi chakra swirling beneath his touch, and after trailing two or three kisses on her neck, he broke the skin of one spot with his teeth, drawing a trickle of blood into his mouth – it was metallic, like rust, but even as he felt his own hardening response, Naruto snapped.

He didn't really know how it happened so quickly, but his shirt and shorts were soon gone, he had his back against the headboard, and Naruto was pressed over him, lips firmly pressed against his own again; her breath was as short as his own, and the overwhelming sensations completely drowned out any other thought.

He did have enough thought to get a bit of control back though, and after prying her hands from his hair, he pushed her back down against the mattress again; he left her lips, heading to one breast with a trail of nips that made her breath even shorter; that was good right? He assumed so.

He took one nipple in his mouth, grazing it with his teeth – she moaned that time, and before he could try anything else, she flipped them so she was near straddling him again; one look into her eyes told him where it came from – patience. Naruto kissed him again, harshly brushing her tongue over his lips and against his own as her hands scraped his chest.

The touch sent shivers over him, and the half-formed erection in his boxers was quickly becoming a full one form the sensations; she kissed him again, and then her fingers shot beneath his boxers and wrapped around him; he gasped into the kiss as her cool fingers moves, twisted along the length of his erection, before her thumb began to flick over the leaking tip.

It felt like everything was burning, an addictive sting coursing through his veins and over his skin – he had to put one arm out behind him to keep from falling flat on his back. It was everywhere... a constant burning need now. He'd gotten the message, and pushed Naruto back down again, tugging at her underwear as he teased one nipple with his thumb and forefinger.

The orange shorts were off, but he decided to get a little revenge before doing anything else; biting down on her neck, he began to tease the spot between her legs with his fingers, swallowing the tiny droplets of blood that landed on his tongue. Naruto almost snarled as she twisted beneath him, but it was definitely not an angry snarl.

He'd never believed Sakura when she convinced him and Sai that peering over Kakashi's shoulder at Icha Icha was a good idea, but he was glad he'd gone along with the idea now. He had _some_ idea of what he was doing aside from talk on reproduction in the academy.

Pushing two fingers inside her, he moved to her lips, teeth, drawing another strangled cry from her throat. He continued, moving from her lips to her neck, and once to the nipple between his fingers before she whacked him in the shoulder after pushing another finger inside her.

Taking the hint, he pulled his fingers free, and then pulled of his boxers. He felt her breath hot on his neck as her pulled her in to a better position beneath him, and the burning shiver ran straight through him as he pushed inside her.

Her reaction came in the form or restrained, snarling groans, and the digging of her nails into his back as he pulled out, and then pushed back insider her again with more force. He'd never thought it possible to feel so may different things at the same time, and it remained a little over whelming, but it was intoxicating.

The smell of her hair, the tiny hint of rusty blood from his biting and her nails, the evil chakra lurking just millimetres beneath her skin, and all the physical tingles, shivers, the snarling sound of her voice as he pushed in side her again, the heat of her breath on his neck, the press of her lips against his own as he pushed in again. It was fogging everything else.

If this was what being manipulated by Naruto got him, then she could just put a fucking leash around his neck right now; he had a suspicion he'd think differently when this finished, but at that moment he really didn't care. He was close now, and he probed his arms beneath her back.

Pulling her closer to him and pressing their bodies together, he caught the sound of the most important thing; the thud-thud-thud for her heart crashing frantically against her ribcage as she wrapped her arms around his neck and he came inside her with an explosive groan of her name.

The whisper of his own on her lips was so low he almost missed it, but he did hear it, and that was another chain around his neck.

He didn't want to move, the sound of her heartbeat in his ears was like a dull, repetitive, but at the same time enchanting song. It was a deadly song. One meant to lure in idiotic fools like him who didn't really care they were walking into a trap, but the sound of it meant she was alive. It meant he hadn't killed her.

He had to move though; Naruto was Konoha enemy number one at the moment (well, at least three), and the fact she had been discovered at Sakura's house by one of the ANBU wouldn't have gone unnoticed. There were bound to be ANBU watching his flat, and if they had sensed the Kyuubi chakra...

Her getting caught as the last thing he wanted; he didn't wanted her to leave yet – he had more questions, and needed a fractional amount more of time to process everything – but there was no arguing around it. This unwelcome thought in his mind, he pulled out of her and laid on his back for a few moments, trying to get his thoughts straight.

Not really succeeding he sat up and pulled his boxers back on as Naruto followed his lead and re-dressed her self. He wrinkled his nose at the thought of putting clothes on feeling so sticky, but he was cold and he didn't want to get a shower and find out she had already left.

"It's not that I don't want you there."

He jerked his head in her direction, frowning in confusion as he tried to remember what that had to do with anything; most of the conversation from before had dribbled out of the back of his skull for the moment.

"What?"

"I want you to come with me Sasuke, much more than I should really, but I've told you before haven't I? I won't let anything get in the way when it comes to my goals, and if that means I have to let Orochimaru have you, I'll do it. I'd really prefer not to do that but..."

Oh, that's what she was talking about... She hadn't been quite so open about it before, but he sort of knew this already. It felt different hearing it from her own lips though. Feelings and sappy emotions aside, he knew what she meant even as she finished speaking.

"If you come with _me_, you're in for the long haul Sasuke. You won't come back, even once you kill Itachi."

He knew that; leaving and going after Itachi by himself had the slight possibility of returning (though after what Naruto had told him, he wondered if Konoha was a place he wanted to come back to any more), but not with Naruto. With Naruto it was a case of everything or nothing.

"Say I do go with you... Is that going to get in the way of my revenge on my brother?" he asked – it was a question he had to ask, even if he already knew the answer to it.

"No – my plans are a bit lengthier. They may cross paths at some point, but they won't get in the way... Do you have a piece of paper anywhere?" she asked.

She had been poking around his flat for a few minuets now, opening drawers, cupboards, checking underneath objects like his team photo seemingly randomly; he went to one of his bedside cabinets and pulled out a notepad and pencil, handing them to her as he mulled his options over for the final time.

"What are you doing" he asked, not suspiciously as he might have when she first ventured into this room, just curiously.  
"Sending messages... and getting rid of a loose end I should have tied up years ago" she replied, chewing the end of the pencil in thought.

"Loose end?" he asked; Naruto began to scribble on the paper.  
"Kimimaro" she spat, a note of obvious dislike in her voice as she spoke the familiar name.

If there had really been any doubt in his mind over his decision, that name and the flare of jealousy that sparked to life once again settled it. Unless he had missed something, Naruto was no virgin. The reference to Kimimaro previously as his substitute, and now as an irritating loose end, suggested he'd been of use to her before so she'd given him something in return. And he _hated_ it.

"...Hurry up and send them then – I don't really need to pack that much, and the ANBU will start nosing around here soon" he sated bluntly.

Naruto didn't bat an eyelid as she scribbled out a second message, tearing off and folding both pages once she had completed it; she bit her thumb and pressed her hands together into a series of hand signs, placing her hand on his coffee table. After a small poof of smoke, two small black salamanders with poisonous yellow glands running from nose to tail and on their toes.

Naruto handed one message to each of the salamanders, murmured some separate instructions to each one before letting them disappear in separate puffs of smoke with satisfaction on her face.

* * *

_**Uh, yeah, there's the lemon; I don't know how good it is. I was going with the fact that while Naruto and Sasuke are both angsty, too-mature-for-sanity kids, they **_**are **_**still thirteen... Then again, some of the kids in my old school didn't let that stop them, so I might go back and re-write this later... I thought it was important to put a Lemon in though, so there it is.**_

_**Apologies for the long wait; I've been having account problems on the page you add chaters on... Ruddy computers...**_

_**In other news, Naruto has**_** finally**_** told Sasuke the full reason for her hatred of Konoha – I know, it's similar to Sasuke's problems, but I think it's something Konoha would do all the same. It's never stuck me as a friendly village despite what it preaches, and Uzushiogakure still has very little information about it; aside from what Kushina revealed, anything goes at the moment.**_

_**Title is **_**'I Don't Believe You'****_ by P!nk - cuz Sasuke doesn't believe Naruto when she lies about what she really wants from him. Tee Hee. I dont know why I'm laughing; this song is horrendously sad... And the quote just fits this Naruto all over - if ya think her lies have stopped, think again ;)_**

**_Hope you all liked the chapter :)  
Nat.  
xxx_**


	15. Part I: Anything For You

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN  
- - ANYTHING FOR YOU - -**

* * *

_**'Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves' – Confucius.**_

* * *

Naruto stood at the outskirts of Konoha, having successfully slipped past the guards, as Orochimaru's favourite lackeys landed down in front of her with sour looks in her direction.

None of them liked her, and she was all too kind to return the sentiments; she couldn't stand their simpering suck-up attitudes, and they were just as suspicious of her as Kimimaro. Orochimaru found trying to figure her out entertaining, so he let it go, but this lot certainly didn't.

"You said you needed assistance?" Sakon asked; of the four he had the most sense, and knew someone who could snap his neck before he could blink – he hated her like the others, but he didn't underestimate her like Kin had.

"Yeah; Sasuke's leaving tonight, but there's bound to be people following him, there are too many people who are expecting it to get out unnoticed, so I want you to delay them when they catch up – I'm going to advance Sasuke's seal on route, so we'll be open to attacks" Naruto replied, fusing some chakra into a seal and sending it towards each of the four Oto ninja without notice.

"Finally – took you fucking long enough! Orochimaru-sama's been getting worse since he transferred! Kabuto needs you back to help him with the medical seals on his arms! Next time you get a job, make sure you can handle it properly before accepting!" Tayuya snapped – Naruto glared at her.

The outburst did add an element of haste to her plans though – she'd have to hurry this along now instead of waiting if she was going to get back to Oto with Sasuke quickly enough. Orochimaru was going to outlive his usefulness one day, but that day was not on her yet. She still had people to find and investigate...

"You want us to wait and follow them when they set of, or stick around until they attack?" Jirobo asked.

Naruto turned towards him, and regarded him with a cool expression, before activating the chakra in the seal she had placed on him and flickering behind him. Before any of them knew she had moved, she had formed a Rasengan in her palm, and ploughed it through his chest.

Their eyes widened moments before she flickered to Tayuya and did the same; the last two put up something of a fight, but they were just as dead at her feet after a few minuets. Snapping the kink out of her shoulders, Naruto stretched her hands out in front of her and set to work bringing them back to life.

Maybe it was a bit complex, but she needed to get rid of them, get rid of Kimimaro, and avoid any interruptions; this killed all three birds with one kunai. It was hard work, and she couldn't use the full version of the technique, but the results would be worth a little convolution.

* * *

Hitching his bag onto his shoulder, Sasuke turned around and took a last look at his apartment, pausing for a fair length of time in front of his team photo.

Was he really going to do this? Leave his home village behind, leave his team? He grumbled to himself about their bad points quite a lot, but they had their good points too – Sakura especially had been a huge help recently. She had really matured – if it hadn't been for Naruto, then he might have actually considered agreeing to one of her date invitations.

But Naruto was the reason she had matured, and as long as Naruto was around, he wouldn't even think about anyone else in the same way. Naruto _wanted_ him to go with her, and he'd be getting the help he needed to kill his brother not just from her, but from one of the legendary Sannin.

He turned the team picture down without any hesitation and walked out of his apartment for the final time; Naruto had told him to meet her at the outskirts, just past the gate, so that was the direction he was heading in, past the dock in his family compound first, and then the academy.

It was at least 3am, so when he saw Sakura hurrying down the road in his direction, he was surprised to say the least. She caught sight of him and sped up till she was standing in front of him, bent over and holding her knees in an attempt to get her breath back.

"What are you doing out so late?" he asked carefully; she had already said she wouldn't get in his way about Naruto any more, but he couldn't be too careful.

"Where's Naruto? I thought she'd be with you...?" Sakura asked, regaining her breath with confusion on her face.  
"She's... sorting some things... She said _'loose ends'_ so I didn't really ask... What are you doing looking for her this late?" he asked.

Sakura unzipped the front of her black jacket, and pulled out two files very similar to the one with his brother's name on Naruto had showed him a few hours ago. He saw the print on one file and recognition clicked; _Uzushiogakure/Uzumaki Clan Repression & Jinchuriki Retrieval. _Naruto really had been telling the truth.

The second file caught his notice, and he glanced at the writing on it in curiosity; _Haruno/Senju Subjugation_. Haruno? That was Sakura's clan... So that was why Sakura had been so quick to heal Naruto. Konoha had meddled with her family too...

"I wanted to give these back to her... I have something to say to her so... I was going to check at your flat – guess I was too late though... Can you give those back to her? She said she needed them back..." Sakura replied, handing the files out to him, her hands shaking a little.

He took them from her, before pulling of his backpack and stuffing them inside, conscious of Sakura's eyes on him all the while, watching his every move. He felt her chakra probing his own – she really did have phenomenal control if she could do that without touching him – and then it stopped, finding what it was looking for; Naruto's chakra. H was probably covered in it now, to Sakura's senses at least.

"There's really no way you're going to stay is there?" she asked, resignation in her tone.

"...if had just been about Itachi, I think I might have... Naruto's just like him thanks to Orochimaru - sort of. I don't want to be like him but... She wants me to go – she actually said it without some sort of _lie_ mixed up in it so..." he left it hanging to Sakura's single nod of understanding.

"Sakura why did you heal her? I know it's not just because she's your best friend – I saw your clan name on one of those files... What did Konoha do to your clan?" he asked.

Sakura looked up sharply – she had been avoiding his gaze since probing his chakra, but now there was an expression on her face that matched his own when he though about Itachi. Like Naruto's face when she had been telling him about Uzushiogakure. Sakura clenched her fingers to fists for a few moments, before starting her explanation.

"My family was... Originally, they were one of the clans in the area where Uzushiogakure used to be, but they were captured during the clan wars, and brought to Senju territory; the Senjus felt we were going to be a threat, so they were kept captive till Konoha was founded. After that they singed a peace negotiation – residence in Konoha in exchange for knowledge of our family techniques, or death..." she started.

Uzushiogakure again – it wouldn't have been formed at that point, but the villages that had been formed were generally an amalgamation of the clans that had been living in that area at the time. Sakura's clan should have been one of the ones in Uzushiogakure before it was destroyed.

That was... probably one of the reasons Naruto hadn't killed Sakura during their match – she had either known or suspected it, and that had saved Sakura's life more than their past relationship. He had a feeling that had been a part of it too, but now that he understood how important anything linked to Uzushiogakure was to Naruto... it would have been minimal.

"...They'd been studying them while my ancestors were captured but they weren't as proficient with them as they wanted to be. They put something in the contract though – there was a poison on the paper when all the members signed it, and it infected them to the extent that all that's left of our bloodline now is chakra control..."

So that was why Sakura had picked up Tsunade's super strength so quickly – it was supposed to be a Senju clan technique, but if the Senjus had stolen them from the Haruno clan then it was really _Sakura's._

She had a natural disposition for it the Senjus didn't. She couldn't use the first Hokage's techniques though – she had used the Earth element in her match against Naruto, but she'd never be able to combine it with Water (he assumed it was her second element) for the Wood element.

"...I always _knew_ that my father hated Konoha, but we're known as a Konoha clan so we couldn't go anywhere else! We're stuck here, watching the Senju clan flaunt _our_ techniques! I know ninjas used underhanded tricks all the time, but this is too much...! I never understood you wanting to kill Itachi, or Naruto hating Konoha but now... I really can't just stand by and let them do this!" Sakura finished, her voice and angry whisper and tears on her cheeks.

"Crybaby..." he muttered, smiling despite himself.

Sakura stared at him for a moment before pulling a frown of childish irritation onto her face.

"I'm _not_ a crybaby! I just have weak tear-ducts! It's not my fault!" she protested, glaring at him for probably the first time in her life and actually meaning it.

Sakura was so busy objecting that it wasn't until she had landed on the ground beside him that the two of them even realised Naruto had joined them; Sasuke glanced at her when a faint metallic scent caught his nose, but brushed it aside. He couldn't get startled by occurrences like that any more – judging by Sakura's expression, she was thinking along similar lines.

"Well, isn't this a lovely little gathering?" Naruto joked, grinning at the two of them.

Sasuke rolled his eyes; why did she have pick times like this to go back to being childish and make jokes? Naruto and Sakura both laughed at his expression, and before he knew it he had let out a chuckle of his own.

Sakura said nothing, and instead hugged Naruto after wiping her _'weak tear ducts'_. Naruto didn't look completely startled, and she even returned the gesture with a _'you-tell-no-one'_ glare over Sakura's shoulder at him. He said nothing as they broke apart,and Naruto began smiling at something privately.

"Sakura, give me your hand" Naruto instructed.

Sakura blinked as Naruto formed what looked like a blade of chakra around one finger, fishing some test tubes from her med-pack and uncorking one of them with her teeth. Hesitantly the pink-haired girl held out her palm, and Naruto made a quick slash in her palm before pressing the few vials against the cut and re-corking them. She healed Sakura's palm, then sealed the vials away.

"Gimmie a year and I'll find out how to eradicate that poison from you Sakura - I might have to collect a few favours from Kabuto to do it, but... Here, these are your family scrolls. They should be of some use, even if you can't use them yet..." Naruto informed her confused her, holding a large scroll to Sakura, who stowed it away in her shuriken pouch.

"I'm your eyes here right? You won't be disappointed Naruto, I refuse to be useless again... Just remember to come back and get me before I go crazy"Sakura replied, giving Naruto another hug.

"I have complete faith in you Sakura; just remember to smile – smiles fool almost everyone..." Naruto murmured, retuning the hug again momentarily, before hitting a pressure point on the back of her neck, and knocking her unconscious.

"What was that for?" Sasuke asked.

He would only admit it to himself totally, but he was struggling to keep up with whatever plan Naruto had in mind; he could tell this was part of some bigger picture, but since Naruto had not told him exactly what that was yet, he failed to see the point. Sakura had already proven where her alliances lay hadn't she? Alright, maybe she had a bit more work to do before he'd trust her _completely_, but...

"Sakura's been chasing you for years, and everyone knows it – if she doesn't alert the village people will suspect her... I'm not having that after all the work to make sure no-one over heard her. She needs to think before saying things out in the open like that..." Naruto grumbled in reply, lifting Sakura and placing her on one of the benches running along side the road.

Sasuke nodded, and increased his steps to walk beside her when she resumed his original course towards the gate. Outside the village, they were greeted by the recently killed (and temporarily revived) minions of Orochimaru.

* * *

"..ra! ...kura! Sakura!"

Sakura opened her her eyes blearily; at first she was confused as to why she was sleeping outside on what felt like concrete and Sai was staring down at her. Then she remembered. Her hand almost went to her kunai pouch and the scroll Naruto had left her with.

Then she remembered Sai was hovering over her, and stopped her hand before it could move; instead she sat up, clutching the back of her neck where Naruto had knocked her unconscious; she couldn't believe she'd be covering for Naruto so quickly, but at least Naruto had made it easier for her by knocking her out...

Sakura had to wonder just how many steps ahead Naruto was thinking in terms of her overall scheme, whatever it may be, but dwelling on it would be stupid at the moment. Sai was giving her one of those analytical gazes... The one that now identified him as one of those illegal ANBU...

His name had been in Naruto's file. He worked for ROOT. He probably knew everything about Naruto, about her family, and whatever was being hidden about Sasuke's (she'd never been told as such, but she wouldn't hesitate to think there was far more to the Uchiha massacre than they were aware of). He was reporting to Danzo so...

"Sakura, what happened to you? Why are you out here?"

Sakura stared at Sai, with what she hoped was confusion on her face, before doing what she did best; she had cried enough real tears to know how to trigger fake ones, and they rolled down her cheeks like waterfalls.

"Sai... Sasuke's... He...!"

Sakura clamped her arms around him, hiding her face in his shirt; if she kept in mind that he had been spying on them this whole time, and this was going to be of benefit in the future, then she understood now how it had been so easy for Naruto to weave lies like a spider spinning a web.

"What? Sakura what are you talking about? What happened to Sasuke?" Sai asked, taking hold of her shoulders and forcing her to look her in the eye.

"Sasuke... He heard that... He found out that Naruto was in the village again and... I tried to stop him but he wouldn't listen to me...! He said he needs the power Naruto can give him but... he loves her too so... I tried to call the ANBU but Naruto... she was watching and..."

Sakura finished her teary speech by burrowing her face in her hands and hiking her tears up a notch; she didn't really have to do much that time though. She had meant what she said to Sasuke – she could see futility when it was in front of her now – but that didn't mean it didn't feel like a knife wound.

She may have started out as a stupid little girl with a silly crush, but that had changed; it hurt, especially since Naruto was her best friend. It was a double blow, but she had accepted it. Naruto had been the one to understand Sasuke long before he even _realised_ Sakura existed.

She wasn't one to admit defeat when it counted, but if she thought of it as making him happy then... it wasn't as bad – she'd move on. She wanted Naruto to have some good thing in her life too, and if that meant Sasuke... Naruto probably wouldn't admit it, maybe even to Sasuke himself, but she needed him as much as Sasuke needed her.

If she thought of it like that, standing aside was something she could live with, even if it did still hurt.

"Sakura, we need to go see the Hokage – if a retrieval team goes out quickly enough we might be able to bring him back, but you have to tell her now!" Sai said, taking her hand and quickly heading in the direction of the Hokage tower.

Sakura was quick to follow him, adding a few last words before falling silent the back drop of their footsteps and her salty sniffles.

"Sai... Sai, if you can't convince him then... You can't let him go with Naruto! She'll be the death of him and... and that would be even worse so... please don't let him leave with her Sai!"

Sai was a spy, he worked for Danzo, and he was too close to their team to be left alone; Sakura didn't know if this was part of Naruto's plan, but Sasuke had mentioned Naruto doing something about loose ends. Sai was one of those loose ends, and if he was part of this retrieval squad he believed would be dispatched then...

She was certain he wouldn't be any more.

* * *

Sasuke landed on the head of Uchiha Madara with heaving breaths; Naruto had forced him to run the whole way leaving those Oto goons of Orochimaru's behind them to block the retrieval team that would inevitably follow them. It was well into the morning now, and travelling all night had exhausted him.

Naruto didn't look winded at all, and he shuddered to think how slow he was in comparison to her full speed; judging by the seals she was uncovering only inches away from him, she'd been here last night. Then back again in time to get rid of the ANBU that had presumably been watching his conversation with Sakura.

The seals – arranged in a square formation - glowed a mixture of angry orange and a slimy purple, and then a satisfied look crossed Naruto's face. She stood up from the stone head of Uchiha Madara, and withdrew a small bottle of black liquid from her medical patch and handed it to him.

He presumed he was supposed to drink it, but it really didn't look that appetizing, never mind healthy. He trusted Naruto not to accidentally kill him, but drinking foreign and unknown substances was just plain stupid.

"What's this for?" he asked.

Naruto smirked.

"That Sasuke, is the key to the second state of the seal; I've been working on it for a few years without Kabuto noticing. The original was a pellet called the seishingan, but that makes you more... lured to Orochimaru himself. It also eats your body like nobody's buisness. That though... it doesn't have those problems..."

Sasuke stared at the viscous black liquid, then raised an eyebrow at Naruto as she ruffled around in her med pack for a scroll and handed it to him. He raised an eyebrow in question as he put it in his shuriken pouch for safe keeping, and Naruto frowned.

"You may not need that when you wake up, but I don't like taking chances – read it if you do. You'll be able to figure out the rest by yourself" she said bluntly.

Sasuke thought about those words, focusing on the _'just in case'_. He took a glance at Naruto, particularly her paler than usual complexion, and the tiny beady of sweat glazing her brow. Her injuries... She was expecting trouble and she was still recovering from two different sets of them.

Using chakra any more than she had would make them worse, especially the Kyuubi chakra so... these were her plans. Or at least enough for him to figure out the rest himself. He knew she wasn't giving up, she was just being thorough. She knew she had a few handicaps right now in terms of power, and was planning ahead.

The notion that struck him most was the fact that she was giving them to him; if he knew this Naruto – which he believed he did, if not as well as he had the old Naruto – then there were plenty of people she could have left this with more skills than he did (possibly that Kimimaro guy she'd mentioned).

Then again, he wondered if those people would be quite as motivated to see them through as he would. This was one of the blatant times when he knew she was using him, but at the same time he got the feeling she was giving it to him for reasons she'd never admit.

"Orochimaru sent you here but... You would have come here by yourself wouldn't you?" he asked.

Naruto said nothing; she leaned forwards and kissed him instead. Just like their first one, it was nothing more than plain honest emotion. It answered the question far better than words could, and was all that was needed to eradicate his unease.

Uncorking the bottle, he swallowed the viscous, treacle-like substance.

* * *

_**Super-Fast-Update-No-Jutsu! I felt guilty for such a slow update, so I upladed a little quicker than usual.**_

_**One of Naruto's plans is taking shape, Sakura revals her own black-side to Konoha, we have a Team 7 moment, and a SasuNaru moment. I know Sakura seems very Anti-Konoha very quickly, but I plan on dulling it a little bit. She'd just overwhelmed by it all at the moment... Or is she? Neh he he... **_

_**Title is **_**'Anything For You'**_** By Evanescence.**_  
_**Hope you all liked it!**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx**_


	16. Part I: Time Is Running Out

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN  
****- - TIME IS RUNNING OUT - -**

* * *

_**'The course of true love never did run smooth' – William Shakespeare.**_

* * *

Thinking everything through, Naruto was rather satisfied with the way things had worked out.

She was rid of 4/5ths of the Sound Five, she had recruited Sakura to her cause (not that it had been hard), and was thus spared the less than appealing task of killing her in the future; the girl wasn't quite to standard yet, but Naruto was certain it wouldn't take much to change that.

She had found quite a bit of information on her family's old village, her fathers techniques, as well as those of her mother, and while Konoha wasn't completely gone, it was certainly stunted in terms of power for the next few years; more importantly though, she had _Sasuke_.

It was earlier than she had expected, and she'd had to put a lot of work and effort into making sure he wasn't going to run off once Orochimaru had outlived his use to him, but it had worked. Sasuke was going to go looking for Itachi, no question about that, but after that... he was hers to do as she pleased with.

She still had a lot of work to do, and she'd guess it would be three years or so before Akatsuki started looking for her. Orochimaru would have outlived his usefulness at that point too, so it would be hectic. She had to find those people though, or those bloodlines at least...

Well, if she survived; all that running with Sasuke, despite being miles below her usual speed, had aggravated her injuries. It was taking quite a lot of energy to keep standing. It certainly hadn't helped, putting an illusion over him (especially _that_ particular illusion) but she'd be damned if Sasuke didn't get to Orochimaru, whatever the outcome.

She glanced towards the black box that had grown from her seals, and allowed herself a minuscule _smile_ for the first time in quite a few years; she wouldn't say it out loud just yet – it was good insurance if she kept it close and just edged around those three important words – but... She really was glad that Sasuke had been convinced by the knowledge _she_ wanted him in Otogakure.

It was true that Sasuke could have been replaced; she had even considered Itachi at one point, but he really didn't like her too much (a feeling she reciprocated). Especially if his spying on her was anything to go by; she hadn't expected him to check up on Sasuke at all... Well, he could hate her as much as he liked, Sasuke was all hers now.

Even if Sasuke did ever find out the truth about his brother, Naruto was confident that when that time came he would still follow her all the same.

Glancing back at the box again, Naruto felt certain that despite the changes and hindrances for her along the way, things were still going according to her plans.

* * *

Night fell, and in that time Naruto did her best to heal her injuries with her limited chakra supplies – she didn't like the feeling of having her usually overflowing reserves drained at all, but there was little she could do about it.

By the time the sun was setting over the waterfall, Naruto was probably halfway back to full health, if not anywhere near her usual chakra supplies, and things were turning against her favor once again.

She could a feel a faint, but still distinct chakra approaching their location – Sai seemed to have made it past the blockages she had placed behind them, and was getting very close. It wouldn't be difficult to get rid of him, but if he touched the seals surrounding Sasuke, then there would definitely be problems.

Sai was a ROOT drone; if anyone became a threat to Konoha, Danzo would send one of his drones to remove them. Sai had been placed on team seven to keep an eye on Sakura and Sasuke; he wouldn't have been her team-mate, but she was certain Danzo would have had him move in near her, or join them on missions as a Jonin instead.

Sai was here to make sure that either Sasuke returned to Konoha, or he died before he could leave; Danzo may even have given him orders to do the same with her. They had erased her memory once before, they could easily do it again. Konoha was very possessive of their Kyuubi after all, even if their attempts to control it had failed.

That wasn't too likely though – she had seals on her to prevent such things anyway. Danzo would probably know that, even if Tsunade didn't. Still, she had to keep him away from Sasuke at all costs. Rising to her feet, she waited the last few moments on the head of Madara Uchiha.

Sai didn't wast time with words or accusations or attempt to _'get through'_ to her, he just attacked. It made things much easier in her opinion. Had Sai not been a root drone she would have admired his to-the-point attitude.

Sai quickly removed a blank scroll and drew a series of ink tigers, before drawing an owl and quickly soaring out of her range. The tigers leaped over the waterfall towards her, and she quickly dispatched them with the help of a low level Wind technique. Then her attention turned back to Sai.

He was hovering far above her, his eyes trained on the sealing box Sasuke's seal was advancing in; she needed to keep him occupied until Sasuke woke up, but if she tried to use her much more then... Well she had learned the hard way fighting off that ANBU.

Sakura's transfusion had been enough to jump start the slow healing process, and had given her the chakra she needed for the resurrection technique, but that supply was gone. She couldn't afford to use the Kyuubi chakra again unless she had no other choice...

She was stuck with physical attacks, but that wasn't going to be enough with Sai... Damn it, she should have been more careful with her reserves...

Sai swooped down towards her, and before he could launch anything towards the black sealing barrier she focused some chakra to her feet and kicked off from the ground, latching hold of Sai's ink owl. From her previous fight with him in the forest of death, she knew only a strong hit or a dispel seal would destroy the bird.

If Sai didn't want to fall into the water, he couldn't dispel the bird. She hadn't used enough chakra to upset the balance in the technique itself, and she was able to climb up onto the bird's head. She dodged a blow from Sai, returning it with one of her own quick ones, securing herself to the bird with her chakra laced feet.

Sai swooped the owl as he defended himself, trying to shake her off, but she remained glued to the ink creation, keeping up a steady rain of fists that Sai was managing to defend against – she commended him for that, but he had been trained to be her watcher when she had been in Danzo's training.

It was only natural that he knew how to defend himself from her attack style; she had to get rid of him, fast. Sai could prove to be a problem... As she rained her blows, she noticed something she should have noticed earlier; there were no marks on his skin from where she had hit him.

He shouldn't be bruised just yet, but not a single mark? Naruto's eye's narrowed, and she clasped her hands into a hand-seal, focused her chakra and muttered the illusion release. Sai immediately disappeared from the owl. Claws extending, Naruto leaped from the owl as the Kyuubi chakra swallowed her.

It was a good thing she had hidden Sasuke with an illusion or she would have been too late. She quickly took control of the furious chakra, forcing a it into an extended arm and crashing it into Sai's back. The boy was sent crashing into the cliff-face, and landing atop the cliff, and Naruto forced the Kyuubi chakra back to a less dangerous level.

Not for Sai's sake – she _would_ enjoy ripping him to shreds one day – but for her own.

That one blast of her one-tailed form had dealt her some damage, and the injuries Sakura had so painstakingly healed (as had her own hands) were beginning to irritate her. Sakura had done pretty well, but she wasn't quite qualified to be healing internal bleeding.

Naruto had done her best to heal that herself, but just because the wounds had closed did not mean she was infallible, or they couldn't be opened again either. Physical limitation had landed her in a pinch. She'd guess it was her liver, or maybe her intestines that were damaged, but if she did a scan in front of Sai he would know she was injured.

She couldn't afford that. Sai pulled himself up, and began waving the hand-signs of an elemental technique; she recognised the first hand-sign that identified it as such, but she was completely unprepared for the blast of boiling water that beneath her feet and slammed her back into a large boulder.

"Uzumaki Secret Technique; Art of the Geyser!"

Once the blast was over and Naruto had regained her footing, she snapped a furious gaze in Sai's direction, not concerned that the Kyuubi's chakra was beginning to crawl over her skin this time. That bastard dared to use one of _her_ family techniques? She had been entertaining the idea of mercy for now, but not any more.

Sai met her head on as she darted towards him, fists balled and full of the Kyuubi as she shot them towards him; Sai proved a very good dodger, evading her blows. Eventually, Naruto got a hit on him and he was sent crashing over the cliff into the water below.

That one hit was too much for her to take though – the exposure to the Kyuubi chakra had aggravated her internal injuries too much. It certainly didn't help that it had aggravated the one she had goaded Sasuke into giving her either. Naruto stumbled to her knees, hacking coughs resulting in bloody splatters on her hands and the earth.

Naruto swore loudly as she tried to pull herself back to her feet, only to be forced back down again; damn it, how could she have been so careless? A quick probe with her chakra told her Sasuke was halfway through the process of adapting to the cursed seal, and had not been discovered.

That was enough cause for relief as Sai climbed back over the edge of the cliff top. A few quick steps and he had a kunai against her throat. She glared at him, not at all concerned with the condition or situation she had wound herself up in – she _did_ have some contingency plans after all, and she was counting on them arriving in the next few minuets.

"Where is Sasuke?" Sai demanded, making certain to press the kunai against her throat for emphasis.

Naruto continued to glare at him for a few second before an amused smirk joined the glare on her features.

"You really think that threatening my life will do you any good?" she laughed.

Sai frowned, and pressed the kunai closer against her throat, a tiny slit forming at the tip and a trickle of blood running down her neck; she felt something begin to numb her system, and cursed. Poison, or at the very least a strong sedative. She could re-direct the Kyuubi chakra to combat that but... that would make even physical attacks beyond her...

"Where is Sasuke?" Sai repeated.  
Naruto spat in his eye, not surprised that her saliva had been dyed a dark red.

"I don't understand why you're a missing-nin – you were trained by Danzo himself. You were _loyal_ to him, to Konoha... Why did you join Orochimaru Naruto?"

Naruto fought down the urge to snort with unrelenting laughter, and very nearly choked on it; was he being _serious?_ Was he really so far in the dark, or had one of the _drones_ actually grown a_ heart_? Either option was just as laughable as the other.

"Don't you mean _'why did you leave me?' _I'm surprised you even have an inkling as to what emotion is...! You went _soft_ with Sasuke and Sakura didn't you? I bet that old war hawk doesn't like that does he?" Naruto asked, a few stray threads of laughter giving her words a snide edge.

The flicker of anxiety on his face was all she needed to know she was right, and the small flare of chakra a few miles away was enough for her to know that her precautions had paid off. She could keep Sai occupied long enough for her back up to arrive, and with any luck he'd take care of the problem before turning on her...

"You want to know why I left Sai?" she asked, plainly despite her malicious tone.

Sai said nothing in reply, but the wrinkling in his brow was all the answer she needed - help was only a mile away now. If he knew she was stalling (very likely) then he was letting his emotions interfere. It was an odd thought, but she wasn't going to luck a gift horse in the mouth.

"I left because I can't watch a single person in this village walk past with wanting to tear them to pieces! I left because I can't walk through a village that would slaughter another over something as worthless as a demon!" she roared, using the last of her strength to throw her fist into his gut.

Blood spluttered from his mouth as he sailed back through the air, landing in a heap on the ground. Naruto slowly pulled herself back to her feet, trying to fight down the shaking in her limbs from the effort.

Sai pulled himself, took a step towards her, and then froze; the sound of blood and torn flesh reached her ears, and Naruto's lips formed a thin smirk as she watched Sai gape at the bone protruding from his chest. There was another squelch as they were removed, and he fell unconscious to the ground.

Kimimaro watched him fall unconscious, before turning a furious gaze towards her.

* * *

Kimimaro was definitely pissed off, but his timing was perfect.

Naruto returned his glare with her own steady, unruffled gaze despite her predicament, waiting for his interrogation to start. she didn't have to wait long.

"What do you plan to gain by all this?" he demanded, a long bone sliding out of his arm into the grasp of his waiting hand.  
"What do you _think_ I plan to gain?" Naruto replied calmly, if a little derisively.

Kimimaro lunged towards her, bony sword aimed at her too accurately; forcing herself to move, Naruto quickly drew her tanto and blocked the sword before impact, wincing at the grate of the metal blade on hard bone.

She didn't have time to be recuperating her energy like she had with Sai here; Kimimaro was close to her own level, even if he had medical handicaps of his own. If she didn't fight, she really would be killed.

He whirled behind her, intending to strike from behind, and Naruto swerved away from the flow of the bony blade, before landing a blow against his ribs with her foot. Kimimaro's own bad health worked to her advantage; she slammed her fist against his cheek, before ramming a quickly found hypodermic of Green liquid into his neck...

She knew she wasn't going to last against Kimimaro without her chakra, but she'd be dammed if she didn't make it as easy as possible for Sasuke to finish the job.

"I wouldn't know - you weren't exactly forthcoming about your plans when you first arrived, and you've just become even worse now... What are you planning?" Kimimaro demanded, grasping hold of her hand and pulling it away while half the drug was still in the hypodermic, but half would be enough.

He threw her off with force, and Naruto caught the dirt with her fingers, skidding to a stop before crashing into one of the rocks littering the landscape; she didn't have any problem with being tossed about at the moment. Normally, she would have killed him on the spot bad shape or not, but he was going to die anyway...

That and she really didn't want to touch Kimimaro more than she had to.

"What do you think I'm planning? I'm going to burn Konoha to the ground with their own so-called _'Will of Fire'_! Konoha will curse they day they dared try manipulate me, tried to manipulate my family!" she hissed, grasping her foot in a feign of being forced into a corner.

Kimimaro raised an eyebrow, presumptively asking her to continue before he put her out of her misery (so to speak). Naruto gave the illusion behind him a tentative prod with her chakra, sensing how close Sasuke was to waking up... She needed a few more minuets... That was all she needed, and then she could hand things over to Sasuke...

"And how do you plan to do that? Orochimaru won't help you do that – this attack was a mere whim of boredom, and not even _you_ can destroy a village of Konoha's strength by yourself; enlighten me Naruto..." Kimimaro demanded, once again, lunging towards her once again as she pulled herself to her feet and blocked his bone sword once again.

Naruto kept her lips closed; Kimimaro obviously wanted this for a reason, and she had to keep up appearances a little while longer; letting the force of his bone attack send her back to the dirt, she rolled out of the way when he attempted to stab her in the shoulder. Quickly raising a leg she pushed some chakra into the blow she landed on his chest, sending him flying.

She pouted when he caught himself before falling over the edge of the waterfall, but she was too exhausted to do much else; she really couldn't force anymore chakra out of her system unless she wanted to exhaust the reserves she needed just to stay alive. She was certain the Kyuubi was roaring protests even if she had blocked him from her conscious mind.

"You want to know how I'm going to destroy Konoha? I'm going to resurrect Uzushiogakure and turn it into the village it should have been! I know how to find the bloodlines that were lost, how to raise it from the wreck of Wave Country corals! Now that Sasuke's joined _me_, I'll be able to make certain it won't be so easily undermined this time!" Naruto snarled, a smirk crossing over her features as Kimimaro pulled himself up and fired bony pellets towards her from the ends of his fingers.

Luck really was one of her best friends; she watched the pellets racing towards her as she drew in large gulps of breath, and smirked when she felt the surge of chakra heading towards her. Kimimaro's eyes widened as Sasuke's hand, still covered in black flecks, caught the pellets and crushed them with his own fingers.

It wasn't just the lack of bodily harm and boost of the second level within her cursed seal; she had mixed the formula with her own blood, blood strengthened by the presence of the Kyuubi. The first level was remarkably more powerful than Orochimaru's version was.

_'No more of this foolishness mortal! If you do not go into hibernation now you won't last the night!'_

She would have loved to watch Kimimaro's demise, but her vision was rapidly fading, and the Kyuubi was right about needing her rest. Sasuke opened his fist, letting the bones drift as a fine dust onto the wind as his other arm caught her back – everything was a dim haze now.

"Sasuke..."  
"I know – he's a loose end..." Sasuke grated, his grip on her back tightening in reassurance.

Naruto managed one last smirk in Kimimaro's direction, before letting exhaustion take over completely, and she left the aggravating pest in Sasuke's hands.

* * *

**_Lotsa Naruto in this chapter, and lots of hints for something that will pop up later. That's all I'm saying. I had to get a proper fight in here somewhere, hence Naruto fighting Sai and kimimaro, albeit not in her best condition. I apologize for it... _**

**_I am not good at fight scenes, simply because I do not enjoy writing them much. I can write them, but I prefer not to unless I have no other choice... God forbid I ever have to write one for Sasuke - I can write Naruto's because you can just have random moments of improvisation to cover over the actual ploys, but Sasuke has waaaaay too many ploys and no random... _**

**_Geh, never mind Sasuke, Shikamaru is even worse; thank god he has no role in this story. My brain would seriously die if I had to think up genius-shadow-mimicry-plots._**

**_Well, hope you liked the chapter; Title is '_Time Is Running Out_' by Muse.  
_****_Nat.  
_****_xxx_**


	17. Part I: Awake & Alive

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN  
- - AWAKE AND ALIVE - -**

* * *

_**'And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin is  
pride that apes humility' – Samuel Taylor Coleridge.**_

* * *

The rush of raw power in this new version of the cursed seal was nothing like the real one Naruto had given him on behalf or Orochimaru; it only intensified the certainty in his mind that following Naruto would be his true journey for power.

Naruto slumped against him, and Sasuke guessed that her injuries had finally taken their toll on her; she should have been able to handle Sai all by herself, but this bony weirdo seemed to have intervened, then started attacking himself. That he had driven her into this state was more than enough reason to hate him.

Naruto had called him Kimimaro; that gave him another reason to hate the older ninja, one that made him want to enjoy this fight until the very last second. Naruto wanted him dead, and he was certain she was in need of a medic – there was only one end to the fight he could allow, even if the thought of killing another ninja still made the hairs on his neck rise.

Carefully laying Naruto down out of the way, he turned towards the sound ninja. Letting the cursed seal flicker over his skin a little more, he felt it withdraw completely once his body had adapted to the changes. He could feel the drastic increase in power even dormant, but he'd keep it in reserve for now.

He was going to beat this creep without it if he could; he didn't know what the chances of that were, but he was going to try. He didn't really care if Naruto had decided sex was just a means to an end in Otogakure, but that didn't mean he couldn't kill the guy. Unfortunately for this Kimimaro, he meant that literally.

The three tomoe of his sharing spun in his eyes ad he lunged toward the Otogakure ninja.

* * *

"Kakashi-Sensei!"

The grey-haired Jonin looked up as Sakura hurried down the street towards him; it was good luck that Kakashi hadn't been in the village when Sasuke and Naruto left, but she couldn't help but have reservations.

It wasn't that she was changing her decision to help Naruto – she would never be able to do that even if she wanted to knowing what she did now – but rather her plea to Sai. She couldn't view him as a team-mate anymore, but in her heart of hearts she really didn't want him to die.

She really couldn't handle that, maybe in the future she'd have to square up to this and deal with it by herself, but not now. Besides, she was certain that Naruto and Sasuke would be able to get away even if Kakashi did catch up with them. Naruto wasn't really in fighting condition but she would force it if she had no choice, and Sasuke... well, he had his seal if all else failed.

It was probably stupid to bank on those minute factors, but she'd just have to trust them to handle whatever came their way until she saw them again. It was a strange thing, trusting Naruto again; Sakura knew she would be a fool to trust her completely, but she knew that as long as she had her use to her old friend, things would work out.

Sakura had a feeling that part of what Naruto wanted from her lay in her clan abilities that had been sealed away – she wouldn't have promised to unseal them if she didn't. That meant that being a spy wasn't her only value to her. Considering the reasons why Naruto hated Konoha, Sakura suspected those abilities had something to do with Uzushiogakure

That was all she needed to know to be sure Naruto wasn't going to be plotting her death any time soon, or even at all. This tiny lapse wasn't something that would bother her, and it really didn't fit well in her mind. She had faith that Naruto and Sasuke would be long gone before Kakashi arrived, so if there was a chance Sai still had a chance...

"What is it Sakura?" Kakashi asked, his eye recognising the distraught emotions inside her for she she wanted him to.  
"Sasuke's gone Sensei! He left with her last night! I tried to stop him, I really did, but Naruto... she... I woke up this morning and Sai went after them with Shikamaru and the others and..."

Right on cure, tears bubbled over her eyes as Kakashi's eyes widened. He said something presumably comforting as she covered her face with her hands, before she felt the familiar feel of the Shunshin technique. He was already heading to the Hokage's office; Sakura would have to head there herself, but she would wait until the team came back... if they came back.

That would be the start of the real work, if what she had in mind played out the way she wanted it to. No, it would work out the way she wanted it to; it would be near impossible to even stand in the room with the first Hokage's granddaughter after what her family had done to hers, but she had no choice in the matter.

If she didn't live up to Naruto's expectations, Sakura was certain she wouldn't be nearly as useful in regards to Uzushiogakure. And if she was of no use to Uzushiogakure, she would be of no use at all.

* * *

Sasuke jerked backwards, gasping for breath, and began whittling down his options.

He had wanted to beat this Oto freak on his own terms and with his own power, but he had seriously underestimated him; Sasuke had not had a chance to properly fight against Naruto yet, but he suspected that even she would have to work up a sweat dealing with this bone guy.

He had a full Sharingan now, but even so actually keeping up with the pest was almost as bad as trying to keep up with Kakashi, something he could barley accomplish at peak condition. Right now, he was still a bit woozy from the cursed seal being advanced, had a grudge, and had only a limited amount of time before Konoha sent an actual Jonin after them.

All things considered, he needed to stop messing around; the cursed seal was his power now anyway wasn't it? If that failed, he could always try using the Mangekyo, but he didn't want to use that if he could help it. That decided, he allowed the cursed seal to spread over his skin in thick dark flecks.

The Oto ninja, Kimimaro, watched with narrowed eyes before activating a seal of his own; Sasuke narrowed his own eyes as he dodged a sabre-like pair of arm bones when the boy lunged towards him. Gripping his wrists and flipping behind him, he whirled round and whipped a leg at the bone ninja's own limbs, landing on his hands.

It was hard to keep his chakra unnoticed but he managed it; he let himself receive a strong punch to the gut to get his chakra down, and once he had landed on the dirt from the force of it, he gathered his chakra and created a large fireball.

Well it was supposed to be large, but it was much bigger than his usual large ones were; before the flames could extinguish, he sent another fireball in the same direction, adding some shuriken for added impact, then another and another. His chakra should keep the man in place just long enough...

he knew one fireball wouldn't work, the freak could probably use his bones as a shield or something, but even bones burned if they got hot enough; he just had to keep him in place long enough for his skeleton to start heating up. He could feel his eyes itching, but he refused to let the Mangekyo take over his vision.

He was in the midst of forming another fireball when his ears picked up the sound of footsteps behind him; quickly forming the hand signs for the Chidori, he whirled around and ploughed his fingers through Kimimaro's shoulder. It was enough of a surprise to get past the boys calcium defences, but he hadn't quite got his heart or lungs with the blow. One arm was definitely useless though.

Or at least, it was until the freak did some internal bone juggling and grew the damn bones back; Sasuke narrowed his eyes once again as the slacked back into the exchange of physical blows.

Sasuke cursed to himself as he was sent crashing back into the rock face after several minuets of the violent exchange; he had to finish this quickly. Naruto needed a proper medic, and he wile the cursed seal was definitely stronger now, he didn't know how to use it properly.

It was strong, but he could feel backlash that Naruto had informed him shouldn't be there, a sort of weary pressure. It was like learning to use a kunai; he'd always cut his fingers to ribbons when he first tarted learning how to throw and catch them. It was his biggest bet at this point though, and it was the quickest.

Concentrating as much of his chakra into the seal as he could, he started at the sudden pains of accelerated growth on his back and the burning spreading over his skin, but once he felt the claw-like wings on his back unfurl, it stopped. He had expected some physical changes, but _wings?_

Those were definitely unexpected, but he could think of uses for them all the same; the whole key to beating this guy was to make sure his bone sere useless. There wasn't a lot of things that would completely render his bones useless, but with wings...

It was certainly going to be easier than it would have been. Especially if he relented, and used the Mangekyo...

* * *

Sakura knocked on the door to the new Hokage's office tentatively – half in fear of the woman herself, and half in her own immediate distaste for her.

She received the answer to enter, and she slowly entered the room, closing the door behind her. The woman was staring over a few sheets of paper seemingly in frustration, but once the door was closed, she gave the pink-haired girl her full attention.

"Sakura isn't it? What are you doing back here? Is there something else you need to tell me?" she asked, seemingly genuinely concerned.

Well, she probably was, but not for the reasons she was portraying. Sakura wasn't an idiot; she knew she wasn't a good liar. This woman was Hokage for a reason, and the recent misfortunes of Team 7 were all over the village. It wasn't a deep secret that she had some sort of connection with Naruto either.

Tsunade was giving her a last chance offer to back out, and while it was actually somewhat tempting, it was nothing short of insulting coming form a Senju. Her decision had been made, probably the day Naruto walked back into Konoha.

"No... Though I think some of the medical teams were dispatched from the hospital earlier, and I told Kakashi-Sensei..."  
"I'm aware – he came in through the window very flustered..." the woman muttered, seemingly irritated by Kakashi's lack of door-usage.

Sakura nodded hesitantly, bit her lip, then looked the Senju woman full in the eye.

"I... Please train me as your apprentice!" she said as calmly as she could muster; she didn't bow her head, or make any other benevolent gesture.

She looked the woman straight in the eye, secretly daring the technique thief to find some sort of fault in her request. Tsunade watched for a long few moments with a careful gaze, before dropping the papers in her hand, and giving her an arms-crossed-attentive stare.

"Tell me why I should when I already have a very time consuming job to do taking care of this village."

The words seemed genuine, but Sakura wasn't going to count her chickens just yet; it was essential that she got the training in her own techniques from this woman if she was going to use them to their full advantage. The now-genetic restriction made the proper grasp of them impossible without it...

"I... I know that the retrieval team that Sai left with is strong, but Sasuke... He didn't leave to go to Otogakure, he left because that's where Naruto is... The only one who stands a chance is Sai, and they didn't really get on that well! I know Naruto too, and she was tricky before she left but..."

Sakura watched Tsunade's face as she spoke, trying to see if she was suspicious of her words – she even considered monitoring her chakra but that would have been noticed. She had to word this very carefully, one slip and it would all be done before it began...

"...she's ten times worse now; if she wasn't always fives steps ahead, then she wouldn't have lasted this long... I don't think the retrieval team will succeed, but I know them both! I can get through to them, or I like to believe I could... If not, then... I want to be the one to stop them...! I _knew_ something was wrong with Naruto before she disappeared, I _knew_ something was wrong with Sasuke... I know what they're capable of, and I won't let them go that far, if only because I don't want to see it!"

Sakura prompted her tear ducts to well up a little at the end of her speech; not enough to overflow, but enough to make it seem like the words from her mouth were sincere. She felt it was the best she could have said, all she had to do know was hope some of Naruto's luck had rubbed off on her.

Tsunade's face faltered into an expression of uncertainty, but Sakura kept her gaze firmly in line with the woman's hazel eyes; if the woman was testing her resolve, then she could test away.

"...Supposing I accepted this offer, I wouldn't be able to train you all the time – you'll be expected to pick a sub-division if you achieve Chunin. Which ones have you considered training for?" she asked.

Sakura hadn't considered it at all, but she garbled out a reply all the same.

"I was thinking maybe Cryptology & Logistics... or the Medical Squads. I'm not well suited to fighting, so I figured those would the best places but... I was thinking about the First Response teams recently too..."

Tsunade considered it, mulling the information over in her mind. A thought flickered across her face, and she spoke again.  
"In exchange for training you, can I make a suggestion for your placement?"

Sakura frowned internally in confusion, but she gave a firm nod all the same.

" I recommend the Torture and Intelligence department; I did a stint there myself and you'd be amazed at how useful the experiences there can be when you work as a medic – it also gives the character a certain hardness, and if you really intend to follow up those words, I believe you will need it. Deal?"

Her eyebrow raised questioningly, and Sakura was about to give her ready agreement, when suspicion clicked into place in the nick of time. Sakura wasn't much of a boaster – unless Ino was nearby – but she was well known for her brain. She wasn't quite as smart as the average Nara, but she could keep up with Shikamaru in Shogi for quite a while too.

If Tsunade had rEad her file, which she probably had after she had barged into her office with Sai earlier– then she would know that she wasn't so easily fooled; this was the real test. Sakura glared at the new Hokage with all the venom she could muster without revealing the true extend of her anger.

"T&I? I'm a Genin, but I'm not an _idiot!_ You think I'm helping them don't you, that I'm some sport of spy like Kabuto was! You want to keep an eye on me, make sure I behave, just because I know them best!" she exclaimed, in both anger and anguish.

Tsunade's face immediately relaxed, not completely, but by a very significant amount, and she rose to take a seat at the front of the desk instead of on her chair, a reassuring look in her eyes.

"Frankly, I think the idea's nuts, but the way I see it you have some very deep attachments to two rouge ninjas, one your own team-mate. I know from personal experience how much betrayal like that hurts, so I had to be sure... I wasn't altogether lying though; the T&I department does harden the character, and it does give medics something of an advantage..." she said, calmly, reassuringly.

"...that and I am the Hokage now; I have to keep the village's safety at the forefront of my mind, and if there was even the smallest chance you did have mixed alliances... It was just a test I had to give you Sakura; do you understand that?"

Sakura bit her lip and gave the woman a small nod, trying to keep her face sheepish and embarrassed from her outburst. She wasn't sure if she had pulled the wool over the woman's eyes or not, but this was definitely working in her favour. Being in the T&I department would be being in the information goldmine...

"...Good, I'm glad. I expect to see you at training ground 37 tomorrow morning... 5AM should do; I'll tell Ibiki to put you down on the list for T&I applicants this afternoon as well, and you'll be working with Shizune at the hospital at least once a day from now on – my training is not easy, and you'll need it if you want to live up to that speech of yours!"

The woman grinned at her, and Sakura's shocked smile was genuine.

After recovering from the surprise, she gave the woman a bow, before darting out of the office, relishing in her accomplishment; there was a high chance the woman still had lingering doubts, but how was she to know Sakura knew how her family had ended up as nothing more than a minor clan?

As far as Sakura could tell, this was simply over-caution that had landed her in exactly the right spot for snooping when the time came; the Hokage's left hand, and in the interrogation department. How much better could she get?

* * *

Sasuke had tried using the Mangekyo once, and had then decided he needed a lot more practice with it if he was ever going to use it in a fight again – he simply couldn't control the black flames it created well enough for it to be of any use.

He couldn't concentrate on the flames, and fight Kimimaro at the same time; once he stopped trying to use it, his efforts to subdue the sound ninja were much more successful. He could dodge better with his new wings for one thing, and if he used enough altitude he could get some sharp blows in.

This was his last attack though – he was running out of the chakra he had allotted to this fight; if Naruto was going to live, he was going to need his new wings to get them to Otogakure that much faster. He didn't know where it was exactly, but geography was a key lesson at the academy, and he knew how to get to the country it was situated in.

He was sort of hoping one of Orochimaru's dogs would be hanging around near the border after that, but that was for once he'd finished with Kimimaro.

Charging a Chidori in his hand he swooped down from quite a height towards Kimimaro; he aimed for his chest but once again missed as the older boy dodged in the nick of time. Unfazed, he grabbed him by the throat with his free arm, and began charging electricity though it into him as he propelled d them skywards once again.

The dark lightning frazzled Kimimaro's motor capacities, so he was in no danger of being stabbed. He just wished it hadn't taken so long – the git was too good at dodging, and now Sasuke could feel Kakashi's chakra getting closer by the minuet.

Deciding he had frazzled the boy enough, he flew up perhaps another fifty or so meters, already well above the cliff surface, before turning mid air and using a copied move from lee to slam Kimimaro down onto the cliff top with as much force as he could.

The lightning coupled with the impact should have killed him, no one could survive a drop from that height with so much force behind them. Not even a ninja. Sasuke wasn't about to chances tough; landing down on the ground beside Kimimaro's still form, he pulled a kunai from his holster and rammed it in the boy's heart several times for good measure.

Technically it was his first kill, since Naruto hadn't actually died, but he didn't feel any remorse or even shirk away from the job as he would have expected to a few months ago. Seemingly killing Naruto paled the action so much it was nothing more than an irritation.

He was prompted to speed up when he felt Kakashi's chakra growing closer to the valley, and he turned back to his new worry; Naruto. He had watched Sakura with his Sharingan for a few moments when she had healed her, so he could at least boost her supplies of it first – she looked like she needed it more than anything else.

Briefly letting the cursed seal died away (just in case the chakra in it did something it wasn't supposed to), he gave her a significant dose of his own chakra after taking a couple of soldier pills. Her face twitched in her state of unconsciousness, and Sasuke presumed that mean the donation had done some good. She didn't look so pale either, so that was probably a good sign.

In fact, it felt like she was subconsciously sucking it right out of him. He would have to repeat the process later on, but Kakashi was getting close; bring his cursed seal back up, he noted that it wasn't so awkward the second time around. Pulling her onto his back would just hinder his wings, so he used his arms instead.

There was definitely a strong draw on his chakra from her – strong, but manageable. It was a steady draw, and after a few moments it even stopped. He was certain it would keep starting up again though just by looking at her – her colour had improved, but not very much. She had serious chakra depletion, never mind her injuries.

Nudging her head into his shoulder and keeping a firm grip on her, coating his hands in chakra just in case, he kicked of from the ground and back into the air; he spared Sai a last glance, but since Naruto hadn't killed him, he decided to let him be. Sakura could always deal with him if he became a problem – she have to grow a backbone at some point if she was serious about her decision.

Kakashi was too close anyway... Without a backwards glance, he turned in the air and headed in the direction of Otogakure as fast his wings would allow.  
**_  
_**

* * *

_**Quite a bit of Sakura in this chapter – I'd say I wanted to give her a little spotlight, but I'd be lying. Fight scenes of a high calibre, or even a medium one, are complete and utter headache for me to write, and I wanted to avoid Sasuke and Kimimaro's as much as I could. I didn't avoid it completely but... I despise fight scenes. I hate them with the sam intensity that I hate filler episodes and English Dubs.**_

_**Next chapter, Otogakure! Then two more, and it's the end of Part I. Thank God... This was only supposed to be about 10 chapters long! Why do all my stories end up like this? Why? Does anyone else have this problem?**_

_**It drives me more mad than stupid amounts of snow. Meh,whatever. I'll just have to try keeping part two shorter.  
Yeah, I can already see how well **_**that's****_ going to work out..._**

**_In other news, my laptop is back! It's alive! All I have do is transfer my music and re-load photoshop, install my tablet software, and them re-make all my playlists off my old laptop which has been filling in for it... _**

**_This will likely take me more than this week to complete, and that ain't good; I've got five tons of homework and exam revision to do. Two Art Portfolio's, an essay, directed scene prep, lines to be memorized for drama, and... I don't actually know about media studies. I can't remember ever paying attention in that class at all since it started - how I passed my prelim is anyones guess..._**

_**Chapter Title is 'Awake & Alive' by Skillet.**_

_**Hope you all liked the chapter :D  
Nat.  
xxx**_


	18. Part I: You Give Love A Bad Name

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN  
****- - YOU GIVE LOVE A BAD NAME - -**

* * *

_****__'Love is a serious mental disease' – Plato._

* * *

Despite his plans, Sasuke had to stop ten miles from the border itself; he had thought he would be able to fly the whole way there, but he had quickly discovered how optimistic he had been.

The final Valley looked close to the border on a map, but in real life there was at least 70 leagues of distance between the two – even for a ninja on a fresh mission, that would take at least half a day to cover. Sure he was flying, and he had enough motivation to force as much chakra into his seal as he could, but he did have injuries of his own.

He was certain he had a fractured rib, and possibly some minor internal injuries somewhere, if not major. He had killed Kimimaro, yes, but the guy had been a better fighter than he was if he genuinely admitted it. It had only been luck that won him that fight, he was sure of it...

Besides his own injuries and exhaustion, Naruto weighed him down too; she wasn't heavy per se, in fact she was positively lightweight, but having to carry her did make the job harder. What had started out as a slow draw on his chakra had become a much stronger one, and much more demanding...

There was no sign of the Kyuubi helping her either. All this in context he was - unexpectedly - less surprised and more disappointed when he had to stop in one of the dense forests below him.

Truth be told, he was probably more appreciative of the wings than the cursed seal itself – screw Sai's stupid ink birds, he had actual wings of his own. He'd never given the second state of his seal any consideration, but if would have picked one thing he'd have liked to get from it, it would have been wings.

After swallowing a couple of ration bars, his energy started coming back to him, and he settled down amongst the canopy he had landed in for the night; following the example of various monkey species', he lashed a couple of the branches together to form a hammock-like formation with ninja wire.

Once certain it would take both their combined weights, he lifted Naruto from the branch he had left her leaning against the trunk on, and placed her down in it. He had to wait for a couple of hours before he could give her another dose of chakra, but the first dose must have kick started her own reserves, because her eyes managed to flicker open for a few brief moments.

After a couple of searching glances, her eyes landed on his own, and she shifted towards him even as she fell back into slumber. His own exhaustion finally catching up with him, he finally flopped beside her. Careful not to disturb her sleep, he pulled back up against his chest and let himself get some sleep of his own.

* * *

Itachi watched his brother from, while it was definitely a close distance, a safe distance as he started lashing some tree branches together, his eyes flickering to his unconscious companion every so often.

He hadn't believed it when Sasuke had informed him Naruto was dead – oh, he believed Sasuke thought she was, but he knew Naruto better than his brother. In terms of her abilities at any rate. The Hokage had, for a brief time, placed her in his care once Danzo had failed with her in ROOT. It wasn't for very long, perhaps a week, but it was enough for him to see her potential even then, the _threat._

She was smart enough to hide just how _much_ she hated the glares, how much she was _bothered_ by the lack of information on her family from the Hokage. ROOT had deemed her a failed experiment to fully control the Kyuubi, and tossed into regular schooling after erasing her memories, but it was hard erase trained thinking patterns.

Especially ones so strongly placed on an impressionable child. She never _once_ looked at him like she trusted him, as if she knew what the council were planning. Just the way she had been trained to. His worry as a minder over her mental well being had turned out well-founded, especially when Sasuke grew so fond of using rocks as shuriken after her disappearance.

A year after joining Orochimaru she had turned up, demanding an explanation for what she found in the Hokage's files, and then left as if the encounter had never happened. She had still been somewhat naïve then, still in doubt over leaving Konoha for Orochimaru, and in hindsight he should have lied. She had caught him by surprise though, and he did not.

6 months before the Chunin exams, he and Kisame had been sent out to find either locate or, if possible, capture her and the change was drastic. Sasuke said he had killed her because she was acting like him, and Itachi couldn't help but agree. She acted too much like himself for his own comfort, for him to want her anywhere _near_ his brother.

He had watched Konoha for days after leaving Sasuke at the hotel he was sharing with the two Sannin, waiting for her to show up. He had doubted it for a while but she had shown up, and he did not like it.

Naruto acted the way he wanted his brother to see him act, the way Sasuke _did_ see him acting. The only difference, though Sasuke was unaware of it, was that Naruto didn't have his best interests in mind. She acted like himself because that was the person she had turned into now, not from necessity.

She had learned manipulation at the hands of Orochimaru, and she had far surpassed her teacher already; she couldn't have known her pink-haired friend had reasons to dislike Konoha without investigation, but with only a hint of it, she had that pink haired girl in the palm of her hand.

Itachi wondered if she even needed it, given how easily her old friend had been drawn into her trap, even before she had any _reason_ to wonder about the girl. Sakura Haruno had not been involved in her plans, but Naruto had adapted what she found to her plans very quickly. _Too_ quickly.

And then there was his stupid little brother; Itachi wanted nothing more than to go down and beat his _sense_ back into him, but even if that had been an option, he was in no doubt that Sasuke would not listen to him. The little fool _knew_ he was being twisted every which way, Itachi could see it every time he glanced at the girl but...

...but he didn't care about it, and that was far more dangerous than Orochimaru or Madara would ever be. Orochimaru wouldn't succeed in possessing Sasuke, and presuming he put some precautions in place when Sasuke finally caught up with him, Madara wouldn't get his claws into Sasuke either.

But Naruto? Even if, by some twist of fate, Sasuke decided to look in that folder Naruto was carrying around with her, and he knew the truth... he was still going to follow her. He'd follow her to hell if she merely suggested it, and if Itachi knew anything about what the darker ninja world did to people, that was where Naruto was going to drag him.

...No. That wasn't quite right was it?

She had already put him through it; she had let him believe her dead knowing exactly what it would do... Just when Sasuke had started trying to think for _himself_, just when he started seeing her for what she _was_ now. She had pulled everything out from under him, and then popped up again... and after being given a taste of her death for a second time, Sasuke had clung to her.

Oh, his brother had definitely been angry about the whole thing – Naruto probably wouldn't get away with that completely – but he had still clung to her in the end. _Literally._ Naruto had turned a brief connection from their childhood into a very unhealthy attachment on Sasuke's part. Even more unhealthy than his obsession with power.

Sasuke waited a couple of hours before giving the girl a transfusion of his chakra, and Itachi's lips thinned at the immediate relief that flicked across his face when eye flickered open for the smallest moment. They thinned even more when he fell asleep beside her.

He could try talking Sasuke around, if the blue moon opportunity of Sasuke discovering the truth arose, but he wouldn't listen. He could kill Naruto right now, and be done with the problem, but that really would break the last thread of Sasuke's sanity. Especially considering how little had time had passed since he had believed her dead by his own hand.

Itachi couldn't touch the damnable girl at all, no matter how much he wanted to; it was the perfect time to do it too. She was exhausted from her fights and previous injuries, it would be child's play to kill her right now... but he couldn't do that to Sasuke again.

He'd just have to keep a close ear out for her, an eye when he could... That was the most he could do for now. He could hinder her when he could, in the hope his brother would start thinking for himself again, but he couldn't kill her. Despite how much easier it would be.

A tiny snap of a twig attracted his attention, and he watched unblinkingly as Naruto carefully rose on her wobbly legs on the branches, her eyes fixed on him. He remained seated on the branch as she slowly made her way forward, before finally grabbing onto the branch and standing shakily beside him.

"_You_ shouldn't be here" she informed him bluntly.  
"...and Sasuke shouldn't be anywhere near _you_, but I can't do anything about that can I?" he replied, a glare in his gaze.

Naruto glared back in response, seemingly irritated by his words.

"That's _rich!_ Do you honestly think that Sasuke _wouldn't_ have gone to Orochimaru, even without me? He'll do whatever it takes to kill you and you know it!" she hissed angrily.

Itachi supposed she did have a point, but it wasn't a very big one; his hand slammed out against her throat, pinning her into the trunk of the tree itself. Sasuke didn't twitch at all in his sleep – Itachi put down to either Naruto thinking ahead, or just plain exhaustion.

"Orochimaru, doesn't concern me – he is nothing but a minor _itch_ as far as I'm concerned, but you? If I I didn't know it would tear Sasuke apart worse than the Tsukiyomi ever could, I'd slit your throat right here... You are nothing but a poison to him." he hissed into her ear, keeping a careful watch on his brother.

Naruto clamped her fingers around the ones around her throat, parting them enough to allow her breath, not a hint of fear in her eyes. Simply anger.

"Poison or not, he needs me and you know it... I know Orochimaru better than you do, I can protect him from that snake better than you can too, can't I?" she snarled.

"I find it hard to believe necessary, or possible; Orochimaru won't let you near Sasuke for long once you go back, and you aren't done with him yet... Sasuke will be on his own, and will survive without your help. He doesn't _need_ you to survive!" he hissed in reply, his voice raising by a few levels by the end of his sentence.

Sasuke twitched in his sleep, and they both flinched, eyes travelling towards the direction of movement. After a few moments he turned back to Naruto, and found a smug anger in her red eyes.

"True, he probably can _survive_ without my help, but do you think he can _live _without me?"

Itachi's fingers tightened around her throat in response to the goad, and then the opened completely. Naruto fell back to the branch coughing and spluttering; taking her chin between his thumb and forefinger, he crouched down and forced her to look him in the eye once again.

"I don't, no thanks to you. You are _unwholesome_, dangerous to anyone you meet, the kind of person _no-one _should ever be exposed to, but the way it stands right now Sasuke is loyal to _you_... The way it stands I can't do a thing about it, but rest assured that I will do so one day..." he hissed again.

Naruto stared at him in seeming shock, before slowly erupting into hushed laughter, laughter almost mad in sound.

"You think that I'll let go of him just because _'big brother'_ doesn't approve? Do you think, for one _second_, I would have worked as hard as I did to convince him to join me if I didn't want to keep him for myself? He's _mine _now Itachi, and if you think anything you say or do will take him away from me then I _dare_ you to try!" she snarled amidst her low laughter.

Her words created a shock-wave through his mind; true he had watched her once, but it was only for a week or so. He had only paid her any mind when she looked him up, and she became a threat to his cover... He had never considered the notion that there was something genuine in all her twisting...

It was sometimes hard to remember he was dealing with a thirteen year old, two of them even, but that's want Naruto was. A thirteen year old girl with just as many psychological problems as Sasuke did, not helped at all by the influence of the Kyuubi within her or Orochimaru.

He had failed to include her part in this equation; he was aware that Sasuke had formed a connection with her after the massacre, that her own departure had been something of equal pain to him, but what about Naruto? She had been the same as Sasuke before she left – alienated by a village that either saw her as a failed experiment or demon in a a human shell.

He presumed her decision to leave meant she did not have the same connection to Sasuke as he did to her back then, but...

Would she have come back for Sasuke even without Orochimaru's prompting? He doubted she would ever say it to Sasuke unless there was some benefit in it for her, but that blatant possessive phrasing... It was a positive indicator that Naruto needed his brother, as much as he did her.

Now that the notion was there, it didn't change his opinions of her; if anything, it just made him all the more aware of just how dangerous she was to his brother.

Sasuke loved her; he probably couldn't put a proper name on it, but he did. After everything she had put him through, there was nothing else it could be if he was still following her, knowing she was just going to do it again. That was dangerous in and of itself, but if Naruto felt the same thing, and Sasuke knew that...

...then Itachi had himself the worst enemy he was likely to ever face, and it was a measly little, thirteen-year-old, likely-insane renegade Kunoichi.

He stared at her for a few more moments, before moving his arm to her back and flickering instantaneously to the makeshift shelter Sasuke had formed from the tree limbs, and depositing her back down next to him. Her laughter stopped, and she gave him look full of confusion and suspicion.

He didn't stop to answer it, flickering away, out of range of her senses but still close enough to watch her. She remained seated upright, confusion evident in her actions even if he couldn't make out her face clearly now. After a long moment of wait, her head turned to Sasuke.

It was hard to make out in the dark, but it looked like she was running her hand over his face, or through the strands of hair that framed his face. Her head leaned down to his ear, and concentrating on enhancing his hearing, he caught the harsh whisper on the air.

"You're _mine..._"

As he had expected, it was not the set of words a normal person would use, but he supposed it was the best she could do, and he let it go. He watched as she shuffled back down besides Sasuke the way she had been before getting up, noting how her posture relaxed when Sasuke shifted in his sleep to accommodate her presence beside him.

It should have been a reassuring scene, and to anyone ignorant it may be just that, but not to Itachi. To Itachi it was just another enemy he had to face if he wanted to protect his little brother.

Very disconcertingly, it was an enemy he did not know how to fight, and likely had no hope of beating. He knew that from his own experiences.

* * *

When Naruto woke up the next morning, Sasuke was still asleep, or at least it seemed that way at first. The moment he felt her chakra spiking, he was sitting up, dosing her with a transfusion of chakra.

She was half tempted to feign exhaustion a little longer than necessary – it was a good chakra to be transfused with in her opinion – but chakra wasn't going to fix her properly, and they needed to get to Otogakure. Itachi had caught her off guard last night, but it wouldn't happen again;.

" Where are we?" she asked – she didn't recognise their exact location, but she had a feeling they were close to the border.  
"Not far from the border, I think about ten miles or so... We need to go, someone might be following us..." he replied, warily glancing around the canopy they were situated in.

Naruto almost congratulated him for the fine-tuned Itachi senses he had developed, but thought better of it. Well, more like she was distracted when Sasuke decided she was incapable of walking over the border and into Otogakure by herself.

"What are you _doing?_" she demanded when he picked her up, the distaste obvious in her tone.  
"What does it _look_ like?" he asked rolling his eyes.

Naruto almost choked, but she decided to whack him on the shoulder instead, hoping it would encourage him to put her back down, thank you very much. It did not, so she glared at him again instead. He returned the glare for a few moments, before finally relenting and unceremoniously dropping her back on the branches beneath their feet.

"Fine... You do realise you're aren't even close to walking condition right?" he asked.  
"Oh my, really? I had no idea! Of course I know that! It's my body! Who's the trained medic here anyway?" Naruto snapped, rather irritated by the way he was looking down at her.

Sasuke had the decency to drop the smirk, but he didn't let his stare up either; he was being stubborn, but really, what else was she supposed to expect?

"...Of course I know how bad this is! I can't look it so close to the border though – Otogakure is very much an _every-man-for-himself_ place; show one weakness for a minuet and you're dead. Doesn't matter if you're one of Sensei's favourites or not – you should keep that in mind by the way..." she replied, adding the last bit of advice on as an after thought.

Sasuke frowned, and sat down beside her again, resuming the process of transfusing her with his chakra. Naruto didn't protest – the more chakra he gave her, the easier it would be for her when it came to walking. She was seriously low if she was drinking it up the way she seemed to be, and it didn't seem to last very long...

"What is that supposed to mean...?" he asked suspiciously – not from the advice itself but from the implications of her tone.

"Orochimaru isn't stupid Sasuke... He's probably going to send me to one of the other bases to keep me out of his way; I'd say in... six months. Enough time for me to heal, you get settled in, and to make sure I'm not going to cause him problems wherever he sends me either... " she replied, flopping back and letting him continue the transfusion process again.

"You don't seem worried about it... shouldn't you be?" Sasuke asked, a little taken aback by her casual attitude to what would ultimately be impending departure.

"Not really... it's a game of sorts. Orochimaru doesn't trust me to do anything for anyone but myself, and I know he's going to turn on me the moment I become too much of an inconvenience to him. Doesn't mean we can't have fun though. It's a game to see who can cause the most problems for the other without stepping over the line, and bug head acts as a go-between... sort of..." she explained.

Naruto laughed at the disbelieving look on Sasuke's face; she couldn't really blame him for it though. It was a very dangerous game to be playing, but it was _fun!_ Naruto supposed that was Orochimaru's influence on her, but he was right! Games like this were fun. She was certain Sasuke would find them so too, once he'd adapted to life in Otogakure anyway.

Sasuke said nothing, busy contemplating something to himself. He finished the latest transfusion of chakra, and stood up, holding his hand out. Grasping it she pulled herself up and followed him to the edge of the branches, and down the trunk. She gave an internal wince with every single movement she made, in spite of her earlier protests.

God, she should have listened to Kabuto; she had known the extent of her injuries, and using her chakra like that had done her no favours whatsoever. By the time she was down the tree trunk and on the floor of the forest, sweat was already forming of her forehead.

Sasuke watched her forcing her feet to walk with a blank face, but she knew the worry was there. She really wasn't in walking condition at all, but she had to last until she had seen Orochimaru and shoved this round in his face. Preferably with a smile on her own. Unconsciousness _was_ allowable, but if she could walk then it was inexcusable, no matter how difficult it was.

"This status thing you were talking about..." Sasuke ventured as they walked through the trees towards one of the trails.

His hand clasped around her own, linking their fingers together; her own immediately clenched into the grip, feeling the support he was discreetly giving her. Not only was it making her more stable on her feet, there was a thin trace of chakra being fed into her. Not enough to drain Sasuke, but enough to keep her going when on a constant trickle.

It was immediately sapped up, but it would keep her stable enough to walk. Maybe it would give her own chakra network a jolt too... she hoped it did. If not, well, at least she wouldn't arrive in Otogakure unconscious.

"...say you show up to Orochimaru like this, is that a point in your favour or not?"

Naruto smirked to herself as he gave her the excuse; thinking about it, it would be the perfect _'I win'_ sort of sign for when she greeted Orochimaru. She hadn't considered it but it was a very good move... Sasuke really was going to fit right in, until it was time for them to move on anyway.

Naruto gave his hand a squeeze in response, and after that no more words were spoken until they arrived in Otogakure.

* * *

Sasuke's first impression of Otogakure, was that it was dark, dingy, and smelled of mould and moss. His second impression... was that the other residents loathed the very DNA that Naruto was made of for merely being in their presence.

He soon understood Naruto's explanation of the internal hierarchy a little better though; their eyes glowered at Naruto as she led him thorough the halls towards Orochimaru's private lair, searching for a weakness and internally spitting with rage when they didn't find it.

A glance at her fingers in his own made them back away even more; the key it seemed to make sure you had the confidence to do whatever it was you wanted, the strength to pull it off, and the backbone to stand up to those who challenged you. That was the only way to gain Orochimaru's notice, something the _'vermin'_ (as Naruto referred to them) hungered after constantly.

The only way to get his favour was to do all this both subvert and blatantly at the same time, and not everyone could pull that off – he'd seen several people start muttering to others, or frowning too much in hatred and irritation as Naruto passed them with her own expressionless face.

Of course, if you managed all that, it mean you were eligible to play the same game with Orochimaru, and and that was keeping the _'vermin'_ below you in one place at the same time...

He could tell that some of the people in the halls were genuinely scared of Naruto, but some of it was her ability to keep up with Orochimaru, walk all over everyone else, and still have time to focus on her own goals.

She finally stopped in front of a door that looked exactly the same as the others they had passed, then turned to face him; sweat from the effort of walking was plain on her brow, and leaking down her neck, if he hadn't known how much self controls she was using from the grip on his fingers, she would have been shaking.

"Follow my lead when you talk to him, and never look away from him – you're done the minuet you look away. He'll try to freak you out with a chakra pulse. Be prepared for it, and do _not_ let him see your fear-"

"I'm not scared of hi-"  
"Then you're a _fool_" she snapped.

Taking another glance at her, he could see it on her own face even as she stood beside, one hand raised to the door handle, but still not moving it; she wasn't just saying this for his benefit, she was stalling, trying to get herself into a composed state before entering the room.

"...Orochimaru is _vile_, more so than _me_ when the mood strikes him Sasuke, and only an fool would think him otherwise. That's why we grin and play along with his games – they keep you _interesting_, and that keeps you _alive_. Trust me when I say Orochimaru has means of getting the Sharingan without you. Specifically, if you don't interest him enough..." she added, carefully and pointedly.

"Vile. Got it... Why are you so edgy when you've lived here for so long?" he asked, watching her tug the red hair-ties out of her hair and letting it fall from two low bunches to around her shoulders.

"Because I've been running around after you for the past three months you dolt; I'm out of practice, and I'm going to collapse soon. I have to make a good show in there if I'm going to get away with it..." Naruto muttered in reply, taking her sandals off with her free hand – her other was still gripping his with an iron grip.

She glanced at the Konoha headband on his forehead, and seemed to relax a little as an idea flickered through her mind.

"Remember what I said. Follow my lead, look him in the eye, watch out for his chakra test, and he's vile... understood?"

Sasuke nodded, and Naruto pushed a trickle of her own chakra into the door handle – it opened with a click, and she pushed the door open with much more confidence than she had been exuding only seconds ago._  
_

* * *

_**I managed to get Itachi back in! I love writing Itachi! I just wish Kishi hadn't killed him off. I hope Kabbsy makes him fight Sasuke so he can beat some sense back into the boy's head in the manga, but somehow I doubt that will happen... **_

_**In fact I don't care, I just hope he gets a load more screen time than the other dead-brought-back-to-life people...  
Kishi you jerk, why did you have to kill him? Why? You could have made Sasuke even more schizo without killing Itachi you lazy...Garrrggh! **_

_**Ok I'm done. Seriously. Back to the chapter. I could have ended this here, but I wanted to write a litle bit about the arrival in Otogakure – specifically the dynamic between Naruto kabbsy and Orochin so there a two more chapters before part two to set things up for later plot. I put somne hints in this chapter so cookies to anyne who can spot them.**_

_**That's one reason, the other is that I don't like the idea of ending part one (or any story for that matter) in antthing but a unit of ten, so I've stretched it out to twenty chapters.**_

_**Sasuke is rather out of character here, and in the next chapter I think, but I would like to point out that wile the notion of power was a major part of his decision, Naruto has replaced Itachi as the most important person in his life. Itachi isn't an after thought – he still wants to kill him like nobodies buisness – but Naruto is the one in his mnind most of the time now.**_

_**Itachi is right about his attachnet to her being unhealthy, but he's thought her dead twice in his life already, and he wouldnt cope with it a third time. Hence the reason he's prioritising her above Itachi. As for Naruto... well,you'll get to know her problems better in part two. :)**_

_**But yes, Sasuke is smitten, and Itachi has a burning hatred of Naruto. *cackles madly whilst typing future plot*  
The title is **_**'You Give Love A Bad Name'**_** by Bon Jovi. Perfect right? I love my iPod - it has all the answers...**_

_**Anyway, hope you liked the chapter!  
Nat.  
xxx**_


	19. Part I: Wicked Game

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER NINETEEN  
- - WICKED GAME - -**

* * *

_**'Doublethink means the power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one's mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them' - George Orwell.**_

* * *

Sakura was exhausted after her first day of training with Tsunade, but she could already see an improvement with her chakra induced fists. Tsunade was surprised when she had shown what her exact skill level was, but she had complimented her on a job well done with only Kakashi's help all the same.

Sakura knew she would have to start hiding her real skills at some point, but right now there really wasn't any point. Once she started getting control of the strength she would move on to bringing out her water element from its restriction.

That was why she couldn't use the Wood element; her water element had been sealed away to the point that it was almost non-existent in combination techniques. It was fine by itself – Tsunade had already given her a water technique to learn – but combined with earth, or any other element, it was useless.

She wanted to try though – it would be good practice anyway. Naruto had promised she would have the restriction in her blood out of her system within a year. Naruto kept promises, good or bad. If she at least tried to combine them, then when the time to do so actually came she would have an upper hand.

After her basic dodge-of-death lesson with Tsunade, the woman had order her to the hospital just when everyone else in the village was waking up for breakfast – it wasn't hard to say that she was exhausted, and she was somewhat thankful that Shizune had taken pity on her and let her get a sandwich first.

She hadn't done much but watch Shizune, then the doors started being bombarded with injured ninjas her own age. Choji, Neji, Kiba, Shikamaru, and finally Sai in Kakashi's arms. All injured, but only one not on death's doorstep. For a moment, the sight had left her wondering if she had made the right decision, if there was still time to change her mind... but it was a fleeting moment.

The retrieval team had failed as was silently predicted, and the only member not near death was Shikamaru. The two siblings of the red-haired Jinchuriki from Suna had appeared and rescued them last minuet. It as a good thing too, or the damage would have been even worse.

Shizune had shown her a basic transplant technique for repairing damaged chakra networks, and that was what she had been working on with Choji for four hours straight under the woman's careful guidance. It wasn't a difficult technique, but the damage to Choji was so extensive that it became a difficult injury for a complete newbie to repair.

Tsunade hadn't been lying when she said her training would be hard – she must know she already had some basic medical knowledge under her belt, but it was still hard work for a beginner. She managed it though, very well if she said so herself, and Shizune was satisfied enough to let her out an hour or so early.

After that, came her first round of work in the T&I department.

Sakura hadn't though it possible to be sick so many times in one afternoon, but the fact that she was frequently joined in the toilets by Ino (who was joining her for the placement training, and was contemplating asking Shizune to train her too) told her it was. Sakura could see why T&I could help in medical training – if you knew how to cause pain and psychological damage, you knew how to fix it – but it was still absolutely ghastly.

It didn't help that she and Ino had been placed directly in Ibiki's care either. She was lucky she had the excuse of Sai waking up that afternoon to get her out of it. Ino was still stuck there.

That being said... Sakura doubted it was very much less than what Naruto could do for fun or plain irritation given the chance... It was probably best she was exposed to it now, rather than later when the shock might hinder her. She didn't have to like it, she just had to put up with it until it became background noise, like water walking was now...

By the time she got home that night, she had already started reminding herself why she was taking on such an exhausting training regime; the thought of sanding beside the two most important people in her life for once, not behind them staring at their backs, was enough.

Even more motivating than that however, was the thought of rubbing it in Konoha's face when she finally got her bloodline back where it belonged – in her Haruno blood.

* * *

"Remember what I said. Follow my lead, look him in the eye, watch out for his chakra test, and he's vile... understood?"

Sasuke nodded, and Naruto pushed a trickle of her own chakra into the door handle – it opened with a click, and she pushed the door open with much more confidence than she had been exuding only seconds ago.

"Sensei, Bug-head, I'm back!" Naruto called out, dropping her sandals on a coffee table in the centre of the dimly lit room.

There wasn't much furniture in it, just the bare necessities really, but he could see doors leading to other rooms. One of them opened as Naruto glanced at the fingernails of her free hand. He was glad he had seen Kabuto when he was with Jiraiya and ran into Orochimaru, otherwise he would have been surprised.

"Welcome back... I see you have a guest with you; long-term stay I presume?" Kabuto asked, leaning against the doorway, pushing his glasses up with one finger.

"Don't ask me – I'm just the delivery girl remember! And you owe me bug head! I told you I could do it, but did you believe me?" Tch, I'm insulted..." Naruto pouted mockingly, spare hand going to her hip.

Kabuto spared a momentary glance at her, pushing his glasses up again; his eyes lingered on her forehead and neck, noting the pallor in her skin and the sweat rolling over it, before moving onto their still joined hands. He smirked in surprise, and held up his hands in mock defeat.

"Fine, fine, I apologise for ever doubting your obvious expertise – get in here. Orochimaru-sama was beginning to get cranky without someone to play Shogi with him for so long..." he conceded genially, stepping aside.

Naruto smirked at him as she led them through the doorway.  
"Maybe you should learn to play too if it bothers you so much, _Kabuto-chan!_" she chirped.

Sasuke was managing to keep up with this quite well for only having been here for perhaps half an hour including the trek through the halls; long term stay was code for _'to become Orochimaru's next body'_. Naruto sidestepped, stating the decision was all his and she was just the escort, but at the same time blatantly saying the exact opposite.

She also had a favour pulled out of Kabuto for some sort of doubts he'd had; maybe that she would be able get him here for her own purposes, or that she wouldn't have been able to handle the job in the first place?

Kabuto took in with medically trained eyes her obvious physical state, and their hands – the show of superiority for this_ 'round' _as Naruto referred to it, and relented in face of how much she had accomplished. There must be a certain level of achievement she had to reach to pass... or was he over thinking it?

Doubting her expertise... Was Kabuto taking about her relationship with him there? That quip about Shogi was obvious though – Orochimaru was bored without someone around to play this weird, and potentially deadly game with. Naruto's return quip was a retort for Kabuto to try it himself more often.

In fact, this whole exchange between the two of them was still friendly banter in a way; Naruto did not trust Kabuto nor vice versa, but she had still struck a strange friendship with her fellow medic. It was very strange, and had an odd balance to it – Kabuto seemed to let her win easily, as if he liked to see what she would do next – but it was definitely there...

Sasuke didn't get a chance to think on it any more as Naruto tugged him through the doorway, and he was brought face to face with Orochimaru for the first time.

* * *

Orochimaru didn't exactly appear threatening, but Sasuke knew it was all a show. He was seated in his bed, propped up with pillows, and was examining several different scrolls with his angular serpentine eyes.

What particularly stood out were the bandages around him – Sasuke wondered if he was injured for a moment, but then he looked up in apparent surprise when Naruto called out to him.

"Sensei, look who I brought to meet you!" she smiled dragging him in front a little more with both hands, her free one going to the wrist above the hand connected to hers as she pulled him forward. She was deliberately focusing Orochimaru's attention attention to it...

_'He's not here for you looser.'_

Orochimaru made no note of being displeased by this, in fact, his oily smile grew broader. He set aside his scroll calmly, and then spoke for the fist time, his eyes boring into their eyes. Sasuke couldn't tell just who the man was looking at...

"Welcome back Naruto; might I enquire as to why you have such firm grip on my new apprentice?" he asked, his eyes suddenly boring into his own very clearly.

Naruto was right – Orochimaru was vile. One look at his eyes was enough to leave him paralysed, but he didn't look away from him, and the man seemed satisfied. He passed the first test, and Sasuke hoped there wouldn't be any more like it so quickly; It was easy enough making the decision when it concerned Naruto, but actually being so close to the man was making his skin _crawl._

"Don't be so mean Sensei! It's not my fault your stupid bases are all so confusing!" Naruto scolded, free hand going back to her hip like it had with Kabuto.

"Yes, yes, you're very fond of telling me that, now come here and give me a proper greeting brat..." Orochimaru replied , waving the subject of with one hand like a fly.

_'You win for now...'_

Naruto left go of his hands and darted over to the bed, plopped herself on the snake summoner's lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck like a child greeting a parent, even going so far to give him a peck on the cheek. Orochimaru actually returned the arm gesture, but then the chakra within him exploded, and Sasuke saw his ploy.

He was testing him again, just like Naruto said he would, but when Naruto was that close to him and as weakened as she was... He couldn't think of it really; the overwhelming sense of blood, death, and vulgar malevolence that was filling his own chakra coils just by being in the room...! It was... It was almost like the Kyuubi's chakra...!

It was controlled though, and there was sharp intelligence in it that the Kyuubi's did not have, making it all the more dangerous of the two. More dangerous by far... He refused to falter though, even when he saw his own death flashing... no, not his, Naruto's death flashing through his mind...

The man was creating a nightmare, just from the presence of his chakra. Sasuke dug his nails into his palm, focusing on the pain instead, and then it was gone.

Naruto began babbling about the third like an excitable child as if nothing had happened, but she was a few degrees paler than before. Remembering her advice about following her lead, Sasuke decided to make himself comfortable as he could, and sat down in one of the chairs against the wall opposite the bed.

Orochimaru watched him even as he nodded to Naruto's babble, then turned back to her, his fingers suddenly moving to thread through the loose strands of hair surrounding her shoulders.

"You took them out _again_ didn't you?" he noted, a trace of irritation coming into his voice.  
"But Sensei! They always hit me in the face!" Naruto pouted.

Orochimaru grunted, then reached to his bedside table and pulled a pair of red hair-ties from the drawer it contained. It was with a horrid fascination that Sasuke watched him re-fastening Naruto's hair into her usual bunches like it was an everyday thing, listening as Naruto babbled away about the trip.

She mentioned _'pesky fleas'_ and _'irritations'_ getting in her way, but despite all the babble coming out of her mouth, she didn't actually say anything remotely relevant at all. Orochimaru asked about his_ 'minions'_ and Naruto bluntly told him some fleas got in their way.

Orochimaru halted in his ministrations, a thin smile on his lips in grudging acquiescence, before asking another question.  
"And what of Kimimaro? I believe he was much more capable than the average flea..."

Naruto feigned trying to remember a forgotten event as her mentor started tying the second of her bunches back in place; he didn't know how she could stand sitting there, but if she could do this on a regular basis, then it was no wonder he found it so hard to tell what she was thinking when he first sighted her again...

"Oh! Uh... he kinda... See, Sasuke was testing out his new cursed seal I think and... I don't really know... I was fighting one of Danzo's bugs, but... I think he kinda died..." she informed him, not really altering the truth all that much.

Orochimaru looked a little shocked at the revelation, and stopped midway in tying one of the red strings to inquire to him instead of Naruto.

"Is that true Sasuke? You killed Kimimaro?"  
Sasuke wished he could ask Naruto for some sort of guidance here, but he couldn't.

If Naruto was right about her eventual leaving, then he would need to be able to do this by himself... He thought about complaining about being stuck in the hive of things so early, but he would be spending a lot of time with Orochimaru, so he tried something on the fly referring to what Naruto had just said.

"I...well, yes, but it was an accident... He made me practice that second state thing and he didn't move fast enough, so it's his own fault. I won't do it again if that's any consolation..." he shrugged, not once breaking eye contact with the man.

_'He was a loose end, and he got to Naruto before I did. The bastard had it coming to him whichever way you spin it. You might want to find yourself a new lackey.'_

Orochimaru contemplated his words and their meaning for a few seconds before letting out a low chuckle, and returning to the task he had set himself.

"It is of no concern to me Sasuke – Kimimaro was a dying ninja I no longer had any use for; I simply wondered from a personal curiosity. Naruto was rather _attached_ to him before she joined the Chunin exams so-"

"Sensei! I already told you and Bug-Head it wasn't like that! Don't tell Sasuke weird things like that! Bleargh! The bony freak could barley move..." Naruto interrupted, apparently in a genuine reaction, much like she had with Kabuto at the door.

There was a definite, very strange dynamic between the three of them – he felt he didn't want to know what the dynamic was with Kabuto and Orochimaru though.

"Tayuya said you had to transfer... I'm sorry I didn't get back in time to help..."  
"Kabuto managed – there is still some left over damage from Sarutobi's attempt at sealing I want you to take care of but... That can wait... Sasuke, I believe you forgotten something?"

Sasuke glanced towards the man in surprise – what had he forgotten? Orochimaru tapped his own forehead with one finger, and Sasuke mimicked the action. The cool metal of his forehead protector hit his finger tips, and he pulled it of upon realisation with the same hand.

A glance to Naruto – who looked capable of nothing more than collapse – told him the answer. Grasping either side of the metal, he pushed some chakra into his hands and snapped the metal in half, directly through the Konoha emblem scored into it, and threw it towards Orochimaru, who caught it with one quick, free hand.

"Anything else?" Sasuke asked.

Orochimaru glanced between both himself and the girl seated on his duvet-covered lap, before letting out a final-sounding sigh.

"I suppose not; Naruto, I believe I must concede my defeat this time – I didn't expect you to have prepared him so well... This brings us to your lead once again does it not?" he asked, all pretences and double hints completely dropped now that he had admitted his loss.

"Ask Kabuto – he's the one keeping score, and to be fair, you almost had me with the chakra blast..." Naruto replied, flopping her head onto her shoulder in exhaustion.

Orochimaru glanced down at Naruto's face – specifically the exhaustion on it – and he actually frowned at it; Sasuke had thought there was just antagonism between these three, given what he had heard from Naruto. She had mentioned stabbing the man in the back as soon as she got the chance several times, but...

"Hm, yes I believe I will ask Kabuto; you need some serious medical attention, though I will be very interested to hear the full story when you fix my arms up..."

Apparently he still had some things to learn before he would be capable of lasting here by himself; it had seemed a good idea at the time, but saying so bluntly that he was here for Naruto, not specifically Orochimaru, had put him in a wary position. Orochimaru would train him but... He would have to be very careful, and know how to keep up...

...He probably should have kept his moth shut and his hands to himself.

"...What on earth did you do to yourself to degenerate you body so badly? This is as bad as some of my more violent transfers... Didn't Kabuto warn you about using your chakra after that stunt with Sasuke's Chidori?" Orochimaru scolded, finishing the second of Naruto's bunches.

"I _did_ warn her, she just doesn't listen..." Kabuto replied exasperatedly, walking through the doorway and heading for the bed.

Naruto had completely slipped from consciousness, and she was deposited in Kabuto's arms with more care than Sasuke would have expected from someone like Orochimaru, but he supposed he didn't really know the finer details of his personality just yet. Not that he really wanted to, but it was a very odd look for such a renown criminal.

With one glance to Orochimaru, he stood up and followed Kabuto out of the room as he left with Naruto.

"Very well played Sasuke... Any longer and she would have been in trouble..." Kabuto murmured as he followed him through the halls.

Kabuto's tone had a note of approval in it, but it fell on deaf ears as they entered the infirmary; Sasuke had no interest in Orochimaru's stupid games.

* * *

Half of Naruto's injuries weren't even serious. She had aggravated her fresh ones due to using the Kyuubi chakra, and depleting so much of her own, but they didn't open. She had some internal injuries from Kimimaro, and Sai had poisoned her, but they were not unfixable problems.

She just had no chakra of her own; the little her reserves produced were immediately going to the Kyuubi's seal. Kabuto's chakra dissipated when he tried to heal her with medical techniques. It wasn't until he recruited one of the Oto minions into transfusing their chakra that her own network started producing enough for Kabuto to heal her properly.

It wasn't until Kabuto had interrupted one of his first training sessions with Orochimaru to get him to give her some of his own that he had even attempted that though. Kabuto and Orochimaru had been talking in hushed whispers ever since, but suspicious as he was about it all, they never discussed it again, and he went back to Orochimaru's hellish training.

It was certainly a distraction from worrying; he had thought Kakashi was bad when he put himself and Sakura into training before the Chunin exams, but it was nothing compared to what Orochimaru had given him in only a month. He was already almost twice as fast as he had been when he left Konoha, and the cursed seal was much easier to maintain.

Of course he had to practice that outside of Orochimaru's notice – he wasn't supposed to be able to use it for extended periods. Orochimaru's version wasn't as good as Naruto's, and he wasn't aware there was any difference in them. He had a feeling that had Orochimaru been the one to mark him, he would have left Konoha much earlier due to his influence in the original version.

Orochimaru seemed eager to train him in it though – presumably to encourage his supposed influence over him – so he didn't have to practice with it in long periods for very often. His control over it was rapidly increasing, even if it was just with the first stage for the most part.

Exhausting though it was, he always checked in on Naruto for a few minuets before heading to the room he had been provided with. He never entered the room; he just glanced in to make sure her chakra network had decide to fritter out again, watch the tell-tale rise of life in her chest as she breathed.

He'd never heard of chakra exhaustion being so extreme before, and he would be lying if he said he was not worried. Those whispers from Orochimaru and Kabuto did nothing do abate his unease, but there wasn't much he could do about it.

While he certainly had a high position in regards to being trained by Orochimaru, away from him, Sasuke was very much aware that everyone else in Otogakure was lining up to try and kill him, and claim the position for their own.

No one had attacked him, he just knew from the glares and careful glances – he was getting used to those already though. He'd keep an eye out, but until someone actually attacked him it wasn't much of a concern. Being one of Orochimaru's apparent favourites had a certain amount of protection in that no one wanted to piss off the creep.

That wasn't really what was keeping his mind occupied when he finally got to lie down for the night recently though. A month after arriving, and Naruto had yet to wake up. If anything, she was just getting worse...

That also meant a month since they had left Konoha though. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he had the feeling that Itachi had been talking to Naruto before arriving in Otogakure. He could remember feeling Naruto leaving the shelter he had lashed together, the feel of Itachi's chakra, even if he hadn't heard what was being discussed.

He had a suspicion he was involved somewhere, a strong one, but he was too busy trying figure why Itachi would talk to Naruto in the first place to worry about it for the moment – he was part of that terrorist group that was after the nine demons wasn't he? What did he have to talk to Naruto about other than how to get the thing out of her?

He wished he'd heard some of what they mentioned, but he was left with nothing but speculation; supposing it had occurred, the most he knew was that the two definitely didn't get along well. Or at the very least, unappreciated words had been spoken between them.

_'You're mine'_

The harsh, possessive whisper Naruto had spoken before going back to sleep flared up in his mind, and stayed there until sleep claimed him. An hour later, several corridors away, Naruto woke up.

* * *

Naruto felt like she had come out the wrong side of a fire technique upon wakening; she felt dry, parched. But not from lack of water. There was barley any chakra in her system, and it felt awful. She'd had chakra exhaustion before, but this was different. Just staying awake was draining her of the little in her system...

"You're awake. Good – you wouldn't believe the problems you've been giving Kabuto for the past month."

Naruto glanced with effort towards the sound of Orochimaru's voice; he stood against the doorway before heading to the edge of the bed she had been placed in and glancing at one of the seals she was hooked up to; taking a look at it herself, she recognised it as a chakra transfusion seal. A permanent supply of untainted chakra.

Orochimaru must have made it; not many people in Otogakure were good enough to mange that kind of seal, she being one of them. It took forever to set up since it created chakra by itself once started. It was horribly complex... Why the hell would she need one of those for a few internal injuries?

"Your injuries are not the problem Naruto; forgive my bluntness, but did you have sex with Sasuke recently?"  
"What do you think?" Naruto replied, too exhausted and close to sleep to put her usual twist on her words.

Orochimaru seemed to forgive her for the lapse... Actually, his frown had nothing to do with loosing or winning at all... This had nothing to do with if he was going to come out on top in the end; this was something else...

"What is it?" she asked, a degree more warily this time.

Naruto guessed that some time had passed since arriving, a good amount of it, but if that pale face freak told her she was pregnant, she would actually laugh at him. Just because she'd _had _sex didn't mean she could actually have kids yet, not unless her luck had completely turned on her...

Besides, her chakra wouldn't have been sucked up that quickly – she'd read that part of Kabuto's biology scrolls upside down and back to front for her future plans. This was something else, and likely much more serious if Orochimaru was telling her.

Something like poison in her chakra itself was possible. She remembered Sai using poison in their fight. Or it could be an infection in her chakra network like Kimimaro's-

"Naruto... your bloodline activated prematurely."

-or it could be _that. _Faced with _that,_ Naruto found herself wishing for the poison, or being pregnant. Even the prospect of a screaming child was better than _that_.

* * *

_**Nyeh heh heh...**_

_**I put the hints for this in; you'll see them explained next chapter. They were very vauge, but I **_**did**_** put them in. This isn't spur of the moment plot; it's nececerray for Part II. Naruto needs a hinderance of some kind for it, she can't get her way all the time after all, but more on that next chapter.**_

_**Heh heh; I love writing cliff-hangers^^**_  
_**Title is 'Wicked Game' by H.I.M )His Infernal Majestey).**_

_**Hope you liked the chapter.**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx**_


	20. Part I: Follow Me Down

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART I**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY  
- - FOLLOW ME DOWN - -**

* * *

_**'This love will take my everything; one breath,  
one touch, will be the end of me' – Trading Yesterday.**_

* * *

"Naruto... your bloodline activated prematurely."

-or it could be _that. _Faced with _that,_ Naruto found herself wishing for the poison. Even the prospect of a screaming child was better than _that_.

Naruto was very proud of her lineage, especially her Uzumaki blood; a product of the Konoha's Yellow Flash, and the Red-Hot Habanero, there was no way she would think otherwise. Everything she did was based around her origins, but to have activated her bloodline early...

There was nothing _worse_ she could think of to happen! Her chakra had been low when she set off and thanks to that stupid Chidori, it had been diverted to healing her injuries even before her fight with that ANBU! Sakura had healed her and given her a huge transfusion before she left but...!

She would have had some of Sasuke's chakra added to her system when they'd had sex – that was inevitable – and it was ingrained in her genetics as far as the bloodline went. That didn't bother her at all – it was going to happen one day as far as she was concerned, so what did it matter when it happened? – but for this to happen now was...!

She had not anticipated this when she had ignored Kabuto's advice! Chakra exhaustion, internal injuries, maybe even temporary paralysis, but not this! If she had anticipated _this_, she wouldn't have used her chakra! Hell, she wouldn't have had sex with Sasuke at _all_ if she had expected _this!_

Once she had collapsed, Sasuke had been giving her chakra transfusions for her exhaustion (and all the way to Otogakure itself once she woke up) through his palm, and that would only have encouraged it! Damn it, she wasn't prepared for this yet!

There was a _reason_ it didn't activate until the late twenties or early thirties! She wouldn't be able to live off of this seal forever, but she would kill Sasuke in a month if she tried living off his chakra! This wasn't supposed to happen yet! It would be different if her family was alive, but...!

They were not _here!_ They were all _dead!_ If they had been alive, she could have survived on their chakra; rare cases of early activation had been solved that way, but her family was _dead!_ Konoha had _murdered_ every last one of them, or they were so deep in hiding that even Orochimaru had trouble locating the people she mentioned to him!

Sakura might have been able to help, since she had given her a transfusion first, but that was the same problem she had with turning to her supposed benefactor! This was _not_ supposed to happen yet! Using the Kyuubi's chakra was completely out of the question too! She could use it, yes, but live off of it?

She'd be as dead as an average ninja being smothered in it if she even tried for one minute! Even worse, it might break free when most of the chakra she did have was being used to uphold the seal! If she tried to live off the Kyuubi's chakra completely... She didn't even want to _try_ it!

"Can't you seal it away? Like you did for Kimimaro when he first got sick?" she asked.

She would be willing to throw away all the favours Orochimaru owed her if he could, and she didn't have very many of them to throw away so easily. This was almost completely incapacitating at times for adults, never mind her!

This would put her plans years back if she didn't do something! She needed her chakra reserves to be as full as possible to accomplish what she wanted, but with her bloodline activating...!

"Kabuto already tried; I'd say you have three weeks before your body starts rejecting the chakra that seal is providing you with, so... Kabuto is heading out of the country - I need you to give me the names of the clans that fled Uzushiogakure, _now_, especially those close in genetics to the Uzumaki clan so we can find a temporary substitute..."

They had already tried? Damn, damn, damn! Orochimaru had a point though – if she ended up dependent on Sasuke, she could kill him, and if she didn't get some compatible chakra from someone _very_ soon... she would die.

There was no question of that. Her longevity bloodline would kill her, trying to convert chakra she didn't have into future life-force. Naruto couldn't even laugh at the irony.

At least it meant she could rely on Orochimaru more than usual, if that could be any sort of up-side; if she couldn't get the chakra she needed, she would die, and that would make Sasuke very testy towards Orochimaru. Very testy.

Orochimaru still had a use for her besides Sasuke though; not only was she an expert in sealing, a good fighter, and a competent medic, but the Kyuubi meant she could last against some experimental techniques and vials that others could not. She was a permanent blank experiment base thanks to the healing it gave her. A researchers _dream_.

She had only let him use her for five – one for every year she had been in Otogakure – but that was what gave her free reign to get away with what she did, and Orochimaru couldn't afford to lose that just yet. Not when he was still perfecting _his_ version of the cursed seal.

In the same way, she needed his facilities to conduct some research of her own, to find people, abilities, and gather all the information she needed to rebuild Uzushiogakure and its clans.

She didn't want to give him the names she had so far, but it appeared a truce was necessary for now. She raked through the information in her mind trying to remember which clans had been related to her own, other than the Senju... There was only one that she could think of.

"Naruto...?"  
Both their eyes whipped back to the doorway, and Naruto cursed Sasuke's timing.

He was either finished his training, or was sleeping because he was wearing a grey outfit similar to her own casual clothing. It was much like the regimental funeral clothing she had seen worn during the third Hokage's funeral, before leaving Konoha for the first time. Hers just had a skirt instead of the trousers Sasuke wore.

He stepped into the room, his eyes flickering to the seal feeding chakra into her and narrowing. She supposed that meant he recognised it; it was famous enough to show up in academy textbooks, and they were permanently etched into the wall in hospitals within ninja villages. He'd probably been attached to one himself in the past.

"Sasuke, might I request that you wait outside or go back to bed? I'm afraid the matter I need to discuss with Naruto is a lengthy one, and would pass quicker if I don't have to explain it to you" Orochimaru said quietly, but not without firmness in his tone.

The comment of explaining told Sasuke it wasn't something he couldn't ask about later, and Naruto suspected that was the only reason he disappeared back out into the hall. Orochimaru waited until he was gone before turning back to the conversation.

"Naruto, I need that information so I can relay it to Kabuto – he knows what he's looking for better than I do, though he has left me a suggestion for you to keep in mind" he insisted.

"Kagura... He needs to find a Kagura. That's the only clan that would be of any help... What kind of suggestion?" she asked, not liking the sound of the word suggestions at all for some reason.

"Kabuto said that if Sasuke gives you a small transfusion every other day, it might help to slow your bloodline down until he can either find a replacement or seal it away temporarily – it would only be a small transfusion, but it would still be a large amount for him to be giving out..."

Naruto had a funny feeling she was about to get the real suggestion from Orochimaru's tone of voice. his eyes glanced towards the doorway, and she could feel Sasuke's chakra just beyond it somewhere.

He was most likely trying to listen in on every word they said, but she wished he wouldn't. Having his chakra so close by was a torture. It felt like a screaming alarm or a fiery beacon, and it just made her feel worse...

Orochimaru leaned in towards her ear a little, lowering his voice so Sasuke could not hear the suggestion Kabuto had come up with.

"...Kabuto has done some research in the library, and in previous instances, some Uzumaki were able to survive by using chakra from close friends, co-workers, but more notably from the relatives of their true benefactor..."

Naruto whipped around to fully glare in horror at the mere suggestion; _Itachi?_ Kabuto wanted her to go ask _Itachi_ for chakra transfusions? No way in _hell!_ She had a very grudging respect for Itachi in that he actually pulled off the massacre, and that he hadn't been able to value that scum village more than Sasuke, but...!

She utterly _loathed_ Itachi! She couldn't get chakra from _him!_ Never mind the problems that would bring up where Sasuke was concerned; she just wouldn't do that on the mere principle! What kind of suggestion was that anyway? Kabuto had better have been using himself for mild experiments again...!

"...Don't glare at _me_ like that Naruto – it wasn't _my_ idea. I despise that boy as much as you do, but Kabuto does have a point. I'm not saying you send him a summon right now, but you will need a benefactor in the future. Presuming Kabuto does mange to put your bloodline into remission, that will only last a few years at the most..."

"I'm not bloody likely to forget an idea like _that_, am I?" she muttered in response, silently and reluctantly agreeing with him.

Orochimaru snorted, smoothing the wrinkles from his tunic before heading for the door.

"Considering where _his_ loyalties truly lie, I wouldn't be surprised if he jumped at the chance... Let Sasuke give you some small transfusion for now, if you choose to share any of this. I will go send Kabuto a summon, and start another transfusion seal..." he informed her, then he disappeared through the doorway.

Once he was gone, Naruto began cursing with every swearword she knew rather loudly; what kind of shit luck was this? Was this the universe's way of giving her a thrashing, for being so twisty with Sasuke? This wasn't just a matter of bad timing! She could die if she didn't get access to someone's chakra on a regular basis from now on!

The fact she had sex with Sasuke wasn't the real problem – it was just horrific bad luck and her own stupidity for letting her chakra get so low. She knew what had happened; when her chakra got so depleted, her bloodline has activated itself out of self-preservation instinct.

By absorbing the chakra of other people – specifically one individual – the Uzumaki bloodline turned it into their famed long life. When her chakra got low, her body did the first thing that came to mind, and had started sapping up any chakra it could just to keep her alive.

Hers must have activated when Sasuke first started giving her transfusions himself, to cure her chakra exhaustion... It was a pity it hadn't _deactivated_ itself once she was out of the danger zone... Well, technically she wasn't out of it. With her bloodline absorbing all the chakra it came into contact with, Kabuto would have had a hard time healing her properly...

Sure, he'd given her a patch job, but with the Kyuubi dormant for the moment, her injuries wouldn't be healing... If she didn't start getting a regular supply of chakra to stop her bloodline feeding off her own, she was definitely going to die. That was distinctly _not_ on her list of plans.

The sound of footsteps, and the feel of Sasuke's chakra approaching, distracted her from her cursing, and she looked up as Sasuke came back to the doorway for a second time. He didn't stop there this time, he kept heading towards her. It was only when she saw his hand move that she realised what he was trying to do.

While she really didn't begrudge a hug or even the merest finger's grip from him, especially at a time like this, it was also a terrible time for him to be getting sentimental. Really, really crappy timing.

"Don't touch me Sasuke!" she snapped.

* * *

"Don't touch me Sasuke!"  
Sasuke froze momentarily at the words.

At first he felt a stab – he'd been worried sick for a month, even if his mind had been preoccupied. When he woke up to use the toilet, and he'd felt her flickering chakra pulse in infirmary, he'd even forgotten about the possible encounter between her and his brother (though he still wasn't certain if that was real or not). Now she said _'don't touch me'_?

It was bad enough being driven out by Orochimaru without that.

Then he took another look at her, and remembered what Orochimaru had told him; he'd taken it as a blunt faced lie despite doing as the man instructed, but looking at her now, he realised this wasn't one of her odd new quirks. Especially if that transfusion seal was anything to go by...

He'd never taken a good look at it when he stopped by, but now that he recognised it properly his mind was flying in many directions. There weren't a lot of things that needed that seal as a respite solution, and _none_ of them were good.

"What's going on?" he started, carefully bringing his hand back to his side; Naruto relaxed, but didn't look too pleased about the relief, and that was reassuring.

"It's my bloodline... It activated _way_ too early, and if you touch me, I could kill you. I can't keep control of it right now – do _not_ touch me Sasuke..." she reported, her eyes flicking in his direction.

Pleading was not an expression he had seen on her face before, but he'd never seen her panicked either – well, he had, but only once. When he found out about the Kyuubi, and she had been trying to suppress it.

She had definitely panicked then, but this was a little different. Seeing no chairs around, he seated himself at the edge of the bed and turned back with an eyebrow raised in inquiry.

He hadn't realised the Uzumaki clan even had a bloodline in the first place. Chakra nature didn't count unless it was very specific (like the Wood element) since certain elements were common in families (like the Uchiha and Fire). A family fighting style didn't count either. Even Naruto's which could be combined with her elements.

"It's supposed to activate in the late twenties at the very earliest, but it can take longer than that. It converts chakra into well, life really. It's draining though, _very _draining, that's why it takes so long to activate. Chakra reserves have to be able to support it, and even then small transfusions are needed from someone compatible enough..." Naruto explained wearily.

Long life...? Now that he thought about it, Naruto had mentioned the wife of the first Hokage, the first Kyuubi Jinchuriki, living into the reign of the third before. When she had been explaining what had happened to the village... That hadn't made much sense then, but it did now...

"...I pushed myself too far. The ANBU at Sakura's, all those techniques, the fighting, the Kyuubi... I was already recovering from that stupid Chidori, so when I pushed myself too far, it kicked in out of self-preservation. I don't have the reserves to maintain it, even if they are larger than usual, and as for transfusions..."

Naruto frowned in frustration, staring up at the ceiling; she hadn't moved anything but her head at all since he had entered the room, probably even longer than that. She was horribly pale, and he could see the droop of her eyelids. She had enough chakra from that seal to stay alive _and_ maintain the Kyuubi's seal, but it wasn't enough to do much else.

Or more likely, her body wasn't accepting it properly...

"...I can't take them just from anyone. Family, very close friends, but those are both at a stretch, and only as a last resort. I can only get the right sufficiency I need from one person."

She meant him... If it had been any other time he would have celebrated the thought, but the way this was sounding, it didn't sound like a thing to be smug about.

"...I didn't think I'd have to worry about it so soon, otherwise I wouldn't have let things get... I don't have the reserves to cope with it, and the amount I need for even a small transfusion is dangerous... If Kabuto can't find a Kagura I'm seriously up shit creek..." she finished.

She was; from she said, transfusions were only borrowed time, and the amount of chakra she would need to be functional at all was not one he could provide her with. Her own reserves were larger than his! If he was the one she needed chakra from, then the second he touched her she could literally suck the life out of him...

That's what had been happening when he gave her those transfusions, and why he'd been forced to stop just before reaching the border! Naruto's bloodline had been slowly getting stronger, sucking away his chakra. Then he'd given her a constant, even if small, supply of it when they started walking the next day...

If he was following all this correctly, if she really couldn't take chakra from anyone but him, why even let things get as far as they did back in Konoha? Why, if she knew she was going to end up depended on him for theses transfusions later on? She'd had sex with Kimimaro, so couldn't she have sex with someone else? Then again, he was dead, so maybe it didn't count now...

In fact, that was a point – if she was to be dependent on some else for chakra, and they died, that threatened her didn't it? Naruto wouldn't have wanted Kimimaro dead if she was going to end up dependent on him. She wouldn't have had sex with him at all. That told him this one-person business wasn't a set thing, but he guessed that sex was part of it.

Going by all that, it was probably possible for her to have sex with someone else, and use their chakra instead, but she was obviously discouraging that. Even so, they did have sex, and when there were such heavy implications on the act for her, why didn't she just... wait...

"You said_ 'Kimimaro'd probably do'_ but, that's a lie... You only said that to rile me up. Is this why you've been pulling me around like an Inuzuka hound all this time? Because of this weirdo bloodline?" he asked suddenly.

Naruto's eyelids were drooping now, but she replied all the same.  
"Partly, there was and still is quite a bit more to it than that, but it was part of it; and if my bloodline is weird what the hell does that make yours? Besides, it's not dragging if you knew what I was doing, is it?"

He hated admitting it, but... she had a point with that last quip. Turning his thoughts back to her bloodline problem, he noticed something strangely fitting with his own; his eyes stole techniques, but she stole chakra, in a limited extent at least. It sort of fitted together in a way.

Going back to the problem itself, she had said even a small transfusion from him would be dangerous, but if it was just for now... If it wasn't often, and was only until Kabuto found a substitute (she had mentioned a name, so he supposed that was what it was), he could manage that right?

He knew she'd try to stop him so he quickly slammed his lips down against her own, immediately feeling his chakra rushing out of him. The press of her hands against his chest was weak, but a minute ago she'd barely been able to move her head. He grabbed hold of her wrists with his hands, feeling the drain through his skin as it came into contact with hers immediately.

She tried to pull her lips away, but after a few moments the basic need for chakra took over, and her tongue presses against his lips; parting his lips, the graze of her tongue on his own pulled yet more of his chakra out of his stores and into her own. He supposed he could have just done a transfusion the normal way but... it just didn't have the same appeal.

It didn't take long for him to realise just how much of his chakra had been snatched away – it came without warning though. All of a sudden, his strength was completely gone, and he didn't even have the stability to remain seated on the edge of the bed, and would have hit the floor hand Naruto not managed to catch him.

Glancing back at her, he realised she was sitting up now, gripping his shoulder with one hand to keep him steady. It was proof of how much difference even that amount of chakra could be, even if the action was straining her somewhat.

"I told you not to touch me!" she hissed, more out of worry than anger; Sasuke ignored her.

* * *

Sasuke stared at Naruto's slumbering form from the doorway to the infirmary; after that first attempt to donate a large chunk of chakra, Orochimaru introduced him to the art of mediating. Not only did it clear the mind but it helped increase chakra reserves, if he focused his mind enough.

Once a week, he'd go to the infirmary and transfer as much of his chakra to Naruto as he could; it was usually gone at the end of two days instead of the week, though at first it didn't even last that long. Orochimaru said once her system got used to the stretch between the donations, it would be better and, they could start stretching them out a bit more.

Sasuke noticed the man's sudden insistence that he study from scrolls as well as his other training, and Naruto had explained Orochimaru's real interest in keeping her alive to him; the notion of his experimentation on her was definitely not a pleasant one, but Naruto had countered the thought.

She said that the people responsible for expanding human knowledge were either laughed at or scorned until they could prove themselves. He still didn't like it, but he understood a bit more about why Naruto seemed to respect Orochimaru, even if she planned on stabbing him in the back at first timely opportunity.

That wasn't his immediate concern though – for another month, there was no word from Kabuto. Orochimaru ventured to the infirmary every few days to discuss _'options'_ with Naruto, shooing him out if he was there, and judging by the angry look on Naruto's face every time he left, they were not pleasant ones.

He'd tried broaching the constraint on her chakra options once, but the glare he'd been given in reply told him she didn't want to consider having sex again. He didn't know whether to take that as a compliment or yell at her for being stupid. He couldn't say he liked the idea of Naruto having sex with someone else, but if it stopped her from dying he could live with it.

Besides, it wasn't like he couldn't kill them later on; once he was capable of coping with her chakra himself... in fact he was very tempted to bring it up again. She was sleeping a lot to preserve her chakra though, so he would have to wait until she woke up again to talk about it again, and yell at her this time.

He was really beyond caring what she did if it fixed her. Two months had passed now... he was beginning to wonder if Orochimaru was really helping her at all.

* * *

Naruto stared at the scrolls in front of her, chewing the end of her pencil; she was taking advantage of being incapacitated to catch up on her medical knowledge, hoping to get a head start on Sakura blood restrictions.

To be perfectly frank, she had been hoping that fixing _her_ bloodline would be an indicator on how to do the same thing to her own, but all she was getting was a huge headache in addition to all her other problems. The number of books and scrolls propped up beside her bed had alarmed even Sasuke, but none of them were much use.

She was going to be hard pressed to get a cure for Sakura made up in a year with this much restriction on her, especially tied so deeply into her genetics. Orochimaru had removed bloodlines before, and it was possible to transplant them so that wouldn't be the problem, but whoever had made this poison had likened it to a seal when it was originally administered.

This was going to take some experimenting of her own, and a combination of medical and sealing techniques just for one of the problems...She'd have to cross examine Sakura's blood with that of the first Hokage, and Tsunade's too if she could have Sakura get her hands on it...

Getting the first Hokage's DNA wouldn't be a problem though; she could just call up Orochimaru for a favour to get her hands on that. If she had any left... maybe she'd have to owe him one instead just to be certain he would dig it up for her...

"You're looking busy there, and here I thought you were supposed to be resting"

Naruto's head snapped towards the doorway and her eyes widened; he looked very weary, and very travel stained, and his glasses had been broken at one point, but it was definitely Kabuto. He was back?

"It's only an hour a day – Sasuke's been keeping damn tabs on me to make sure... What... When did you-"  
"Two minutes ago; since the timing was so urgent, I felt it best to introduce you as soon as we got here" Kabuto smirked, looking very proud of himself.

It took a moment for his words to sink in; Kabuto watched the comprehension dawning on her face, before stepping inside the room, allowing his companion to step forward.

She had red hair and eyes, glasses, looked around her age, and she had an expression on her face that matched Naruto's own astonished one; in spite of giving Kabuto the name he needed (via Orochimaru), she had never expected him to actually find a Kagura at all. They were one of the clans that had been hit hardest besides her own...

"Karin, this is Naruto. I believe I've already told you about her..." Kabuto introduced the girl.

Karin ignored him, darting over and clambering up onto the bed, clamping her hands on to her face, feeling her face as she probed with her chakra, searching for something with it. Apparently she found it, because her eyes widened, and she suddenly hugged her.

"I... I can't believe it...! Granddad always said, he said that you weren't all dead, but I didn't believe him!"

Naruto was equally stunned, but returned the gesture all the same. She didn't know how Kabuto had found her, or why the girl's clothing looked like she had walked out of a war zone, but she didn't care that she owed him for it. Someone from an Uzushiogakure clan, someone she had a shared _ancestry_ with, was sitting right next to her...!

She didn't care that _Kabuto_ had found Karin – she was part of what she was trying to find, rebuild. They were (very) distantly related. Just being able to look at the girl made all the effort she had put in worth it, and her confidence that she could actually pull this off soared upwards.

Karin started after a moment, and went back to examining her, biting her lip as put her hand to the spot just below her collarbone, where her chakra reserves began, and her eyes widened. Then a furious expression crossed her face and she shot a glare at Kabuto.

"You never told me it was this bad you_ idiot! _I can't handle all that by myself! Go get them, whoever it is whose chakra she needs go get them now!" she barked at him, her shocked and seemingly calm demeanour completely gone.

Kabuto didn't seem shocked, in fact he looked like he was nursing a headache as he left; Naruto felt a smug grin cross her face as she watched him retreating out of the room in search of Sasuke. She had a feeling she and Karin were going to get along very well indeed.

* * *

A month after Karin's arrival, and Naruto's prediction that she would be removed from Sasuke's immediate vicinity had come true; Orochimaru was sending them both to a different base with Kabuto to oversee some experiments.

Sasuke watched Naruto sealing away various boxes, books, scrolls, and her few sets of clothing away into a scroll from her bedroom doorway; Naruto had told him this would happen, but even if he was used to things here now – ish – he still didn't like the fact that Orochimaru was splitting them up. He'd finally found her, and they were being split up again...

He wasn't worried per se, Naruto was getting used to having her bloodline now, and she had got some of her smugness back ever since Karin arrived. Naruto wouldn't tell him what her exact plans involved – she said the less he knew the better and he somewhat agreed – but he could tell something was back on track.

He suspected it had something to do with why Kabuto was joining the two of them in the other base; Naruto had been trying to preserve her own supplies by hitting the study books recently, specifically the biology ones. He remembered the promise she had made to Sakura, and had a feeling that was part, if not all of it.

She picked up a folder and stared at it for a moment, before turning around and holding it out to him; he recognised it immediately – it was the folder on his clan, his brother, that she had stolen from the Hokage's office. He'd been tiptoeing around the topic of his brother for a while now, finally deciding the he had not been dreaming about that encounter.

"If you want to know what's in it... then it's up to you. I'm not going to tell you though. I've taken the blood-seal off, so you won't have any problems reading it..." she said as he took the folder.

He was tempted to read it there and then, but he decided against it. He had two reasons for coming here; one was to stay with Naruto, the other was to get the strength he needed to kill his brother. Killing Itachi had been his driving force for over five years now. If he opened that folder... there was a chance he would undermine that drive, and he wasn't prepared to do that.

Focusing his fire natured chakra in his hand, he fissured it into the paper; Naruto watched with a blank face as the folder was swallowed in scorching ruddy orange ribbons, before turning into ash and drifting to the floor. Unfazed, she turned to seal the last of her things into her scroll, before storing it in the medical pack she wore.

Seeing she had everything, he reached out and pulled her towards him, carefully pressing his lips against her own; it had taken some doing, but skin contact didn't sap him of his chakra any more unless she actually pulled on it (he suspected that was partly thanks to Karin, helping her get the hang of it).

Naruto reached her hands up, one to his cheek, the other to the back of his neck where his hair started to get spiky. The brief tug on his chakra relaxed his control of it (it had turned out to be a two-way process), and he slowly let some loose for Naruto to sponge off (a private joke he used to irritate her now).

When he felt her draw on it close, he pulled his lips away and slipped his arms around her back; he couldn't help noticing how much easier it was to get her show some honest emotions away from Konoha, even around Orochimaru or Kabuto. The technicalities of her bloodline (and its implications) certainly helped, but as a general rule she was much more open than before.

There was absolutely no doubt that he had done the right thing, if there had been any at all even back in Konoha. Naruto took the time to respond, pressing her head into his shoulder for a few moments, the she broke the contact.

"I'll see you in a few months Sasuke...Make sure you don't use up all you chakra training will you? I'm going to be needing a little bit of it..." she said, flashing a smirk before heading for the door.

"Leech" he replied.

Sasuke smirked to himself as Naruto's laughter disappeared down the corridor with her._**  
**_

* * *

_**0_0**_

_**...part one is finally done! Thank god for that!**_

_**Before anyone yells at me – Naruto's bloodline is not some sort of crappy soul-bond or mush like that. I wanted to build up on the information on Uzushiogakure that has been officially revealed in canon, and the longevity is one of those things.**_

_**I wanted something that will cause problems for Naruto since she was having things go her way far too easily, and since all I know is that uzumaki's had longevity, I used that as the problem. There's a lot of range on how it works, and the long life has to come from somewhere.**_

_**I couldn't leave it as a passive sort of bloodline either, I wanted it to play a role in the story for part two, so I've made it a problem for Naruto to cope with. It isn't something she can get rid of, and it isn't something she can really control, and that is the key thing – she can't control it the way she can other things (*cough**Sasuke!**cough*).**_

_**Sasuke is the main person she can absorb chakra from, and if she wants to be in top condition, then it's his she needs, but she can survive without it every day if she gets access to the right kind, or as Sasuke deducted, has sex with someone else (this is an option, not a certainty).**_

_**As for why she could ask Itachi for his chakra, I'm going with biology and saying because he has the same mix of DNA as Sasuke. It mixed differently, but it is the same, so it would be easier for her to absorb his than someone else's. Though it probably take quite a bit of persuasion for both of them to even consider it. **_**_Karin's is an exception because they share an ancestry, and because of her own unique traits._**

**_This will all be explained better in part two; I just wanted to get it set up. If you have any questions about it, or about part one in general, feel free to send me a message and I'll do my best to get back to you before then if you so wish :)_**

_**As for Karin, I wanted to bring her into the story, so sorry to those that don't like her, but I have plans for her even if she hasn't technically shown up in the story herself yet. I took her last name from her mind's eye of Kagura technique, and I made her an Uzushio because...**_

_**Well, I need some people for it, and I hate OC's with a burning passion. I will not make one unless I have no other choice, or it's a SasuNaru/other pairing spawn, so quite a few characters are going to be missing descendants of it. Feel free to guess – I may even get some more ideas (yes that is a plea for a few suggestions – so far I only have three solid bloodlines, possibly four. I need a couple more... -_-;)**_

_**Oh! Much love to everyone who's reviewed this so far, and whose faved it and put this on follow and put me on author alert! **__**I LOVE YOU ALL! Thousands of virtual cookies for everyone! Thank you so much for all the support so far! I gotta say, all your reviews and such made some seriously crap days a whole lot better ^^**_

_****__**Title is 'Follow Me Down' by 3OH!3, and a big t**__**hanks to Mariokutai-Reincarnated for Betaing this chapter^^**_

_**Hope you all liked part one! Stay tuned for Part II :D**__**  
**__**Nat**__**. **__**  
**__**xxx + thousands of virtual cookies!**_


	21. Part II: The Dangerous Kind

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY–ONE  
- - THE DANGEROUS KIND - -**

* * *

_'If you must break the law, do it seize power; in all other cases observe it' – Julius Caesar._

* * *

"Naruto, will you get you wake up already? We have to leave today before you start eating your own chakra!"

Naruto opened a bleary eye and glared at Karin for her rude awakening; in the three years that had passed since meeting the girl, they were as inseparable as Naruto had once been with Sakura (still was in a way, she supposed). That wasn't without its drawbacks though.

Karin was an early riser; Naruto was not. It certainly didn't help that she was rather starved for chakra at the moment. She could last on Karin's chakra for about six months when she first developed her stupid bloodline. Now, that time had been reduced to at most six weeks, and it was getting much shorter as time passed.

The fact of the matter was that whilst Karin's chakra was a good short term substitute, it was not meant to be a long term one.

As a Kagura, her chakra was completely neutral; it had a presence of its own, but it was very faint. The Kaguras' chakra could completely substitute that of the real benefactor (when they could not be used) for an Uzumaki, though their real talent lay in using it to heal regular ninja, or even substitute for them.

This didn't hinder them as it would normal ninja due to another unique quality; the rate at which they could create more chakra of their own was far faster than others. They had been an unofficial branch of the Uzumaki clan, when the village and clans thrived, and the Kaguras had been very proud of the affiliation.

It was only really to be used like that in a battle though, when action depleted chakra too quickly or was much more restricted. It was never supposed to be a long term solution – that had been desperation on her part, and on Karin's somewhat. After living through a massacre of her own, unable to do anything, she had been desperate to help her only relative any way she could, even if it was a _very_ distant relation.

However, as far as long term solutions went, her body was beginning to stop accepting Karin's chakra. She needed Sasuke's, but even though his reserves had increased tenfold, she could hardly stop the growth of her own either. Sasuke could handle larger donations of it, but they were still weren't the amount she really needed.

That, and leeching Sasuke of his chakra was a very dangerous thing to be doing right now; Orochimaru was getting close to the transfer date, and was all too keen on encouraging her to weaken him, in order for the transfer to go that much easier. Sasuke was confident that he would be able to handle the problem, but Naruto wasn't so sure it would be as easy as he predicted.

That was something she would worry about when the time came though – right now, she needed his chakra whether she liked it or not, and that meant leaving the base she and Karin were currently watching over. It was a journey she was not looking forward to at all...

"Naruto, get up you leech!"

Naruto growled curses to herself as she forced herself awake and pulled on her clothes; she had a pair of heeled boots now, similar to the open sandals Sasuke wore in foot design. Instead of the typical camouflage worn by Oto ninja, her skirt was a plain black now, her mesh leggings remained (minus the leg warmers), and her mesh gloves had been replaced by bandages instead...

The mesh shirt hadn't been an item of her choice though... now that she'd hit sixteen, she could no longer complain about not having boobs. It was a case of being the other way around. Sasuke had thrown the shirt at her during one of her visits; it had been a while since she had seen him then, and the damn things hadn't been there the last time he had seen her.

He'd been so frazzled by them appearing that she couldn't do anything but humour him and start wearing the thing – since it stopped them bouncing around too much, she stuck with it.

Over the top of the mesh and the skirt, she pulled on a short, orange battle yukata with black and white dotted edges, held together with a black wrap around her waist. She had never seen a picture of her parents, but she had asked Orochimaru once, not long after first arriving in Otogakure.

The style was similar to what her mother had worn once, and she was rather attached to that. She knew she didn't really look much like her mother, hence the attachment to the outfit. As for her hair, that was much longer now, falling to just below her waist and held in place with some purple-rope ties in bunches either side of her head. Loose, it was even longer.

After grabbing her usual med-pack and the scroll she had packed with her belonging the previous night, Naruto left her room and joined Karin in the hallway. The redhead was tapping her foot impatiently, and Naruto stuck her tongue out at her before they stated to head out of the base.

"Gods, aren't you ever going to get up by yourself?"  
"Only when I have to, and since I can't really rush this journey, I didn't have to" Naruto replied, still grumpy about the rude awakening as they walked down the halls.

"If we're heading to Kumo after this visit, then don't be stupid about leeching as much chakra as you can from Sasuke will you? If we get caught there, we'll have problems..." Karin advised.

Naruto grimaced; once they'd gone back to the main base for a while, and she'd had the chance to call Kabuto in on a couple of favours, they were heading to Konoha to get Sakura's bloodline unlocked.

It had been a bitch of a restriction to work through, and she'd needed samples of not only Sakura's, but Tsunade's and the first Hokage's DNA to finally figure out where the blocks _were_ (never mind how they worked). There had been three different restrictions going on at the same time! Sakura had better put it to good use when she got it back... if it worked, which she still doubted.

She didn't like the idea of taking as much chakra as she could get from Sasuke though; that would leave him vulnerable for at least one day without much chakra of his own. Karin was right though – she needed it in case things didn't go to plan in Kumo and she needed to fight...

She needed a solution to this and soon... There was an obvious one of course, find someone else to take over chakra donation until she was older, or at least share the load of it out. That was an idea she wasn't keen to follow up though – for one thing, that was a line she had already danced too closely to with Kimimaro.

There was no guarantee that her second choice would be as... reliable as Sasuke would be. She wouldn't cross that line unless she had no other choice though... Which would be when Sasuke told her to and that would be a cold day in hell. Besides, she had at the very least a few months before things got that bad, if not a year...

Ok, a year was a lie. She had a few weeks, less than three months at best.  
Her old optimistic side was just trying to keep her hopes up.

Stepping out into the sunlight of the island itself, Karin stopped them when they reached the water of the sea and rolled up the sleeve of her purple shirt pointedly; Naruto didn't object when Karin shoved her arm under her nose, and bit down on the flesh, storing up the chakra for the journey over the water.

The constant stream needed to stay afloat always drained her that much quicker when she had to walk across it for long periods of time. She needed to stock her reserves up now before they set off. It was a good thing she could control how much she took of Karin's chakra now – in the early days; she had almost completely drained her more often than not, like the first time with Sasuke.

"Urgh, that's _never _as good as when Sasuke bites me..." Karin muttered once her arm had been released.

Orochimaru had been very intrigued with extent of Karin's abilities once he she had arrived, and had once tested her by going a bit too far in Sasuke's training. Apparently when a male bit her, the experience was rather different (Sasuke had been rather freaked out by the whole thing).

"Keep your hands to yourself" Naruto muttered, only half jokingly.  
Karin just laughed at her as they set out across the water to the mainland.

* * *

Sakura Haruno sat at her kitchen table, her face slumped across the pages of a book Ibiki had given her and Ino to read; beside it was a set of scrolls she was due to master for Tsunade, but they were of no consequence to her.

For one thing she hardly had the energy to care, and for another tonight was not a night she was very good at concentrating on, not for the past three years. Around this exact time, Naruto and Sasuke had left Konoha, never to come back unless they had no other choice, but she was still stuck here.

It was not that she hadn't made any progress these three years – far from it. She could now say with a fair amount of confidence that she had _her_ strength completely mastered, and she was a skilled enough medic that she could be entrusted to run the ER at Konoha hospital.

She had worked on the use of her chakra control to its fullest extent, especially in detecting illusions, and sensory capabilities. Kiba had even given her a few tracking pointers to help her along. Alongside that, she had approached Tenten for some weapons training, and she was now very confident with the Kusarigama constantly attached to the top of her med-pack (replacing the usual Tanto).

Working with Ino under Ibiki and Inochi had been a huge help in keeping her appearances up; she knew how to spot lies, pick up tell-tale habits that betrayed nervousness. Most of all though, she had learned some very good illusions for loosening tongues from Ibiki.

It was the information there that was the real benefit though – T&I was the best place to go for information on village goings on, except perhaps the Hokage's office itself. Tsunade's office was even better, since she was given access to files and deals that regular ninjas wouldn't get being the Hokage's apprentice.

It had taken the better part of two years, but Sakura had also near-mastered her water and earth elements, separately at least. Combining them was something she could not do just yet.

Several months after departing, Naruto had sent her a message with one of her summons; she was having problems finding the specific lock in her chakra, even with help from Kabuto. The genetic restriction wasn't simply centred in one place as was often the case, but was spread out over several different spots.

Either the lock had rearranged the part of her genetics that allowed for creation of her wood element, or there was more than one; just one would have been bad enough by itself, but those two possibilities made the job of removing the block even harder.

Instead, she had worked on trying to bring her third element out – it was a requirement for Jonin, and Jonin had better access to the real information. Not many could do it, but she was slowly learning the basics of lightning mastery – Tsunade was thrilled she had her element, as was Kakashi (Sakura doubted she would have managed it without her chakra control though).

Naruto had also mentioned a few problems of her own concerning genetics that were hampering her progress to an extent. That had been her first request, to find as much information on the Uzumaki bloodline in Konoha as she could. She had already retrieved her family scrolls from the Hokage tower, but there may be hospital files or other information she had missed.

She had also asked for some of Sakura's own medical records to be sent back with her summons for her to use as reference, and some Senju blood. Sakura had spent a week tearing her head to pieces, trying think of a way to get Tsunade's blood without looking suspicious, before she was given her opportunity right in the middle of Tsunade's office.

Well, technically it wasn't Tsunade's blood, but Sakura had managed to get some DNA onto a cotton bud from one of her mentor's sake bottles (from her leftover saliva), and keen examination of her desk had revealed a blonde hair from her head. It wasn't blood, but it was good enough until Sakura could get into the old hospital stores.

There was bound to be some on file somewhere, she just needed an excuse to get into them.

Once she had the information Naruto needed and stored it in a protective bag, she given it all to the summon; the poisonous salamander had opened one of the poison glands on its back, seemingly by forcing it's bones through its skin, and stored it inside the gland itself, before disappearing in a hot, sparking puff of smoke.

She hadn't heard form Naruto since; it wasn't that she was worried; Naruto had proven that she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself. No, she wasn't worried, she just missed her. Missed them. She had accepted that Sasuke would never look at her the way she had wanted, but he had been a major focus for her, and he was her team-mate... she missed them.

Especially today – she wished she knew what they were doing, but not knowing was just something came with the territory of staying behind to keep an eye on Konoha's movements. Sakura had a pretty good idea of what Naruto was planning, and if it was going to come to fruition then someone needed to watch Konoha closely.

If Konoha caught wind of Uzushiogakure's revival, they would not sit idly by and let it happen, especially not when Naruto was the one receiving it. They already had the disadvantage that Tsunade knew what Konoha had done to incur Naruto's wrath, as did Jiraiya...

Thankfully Naruto was keeping a low profile, so they hadn't been able to find out much about her plans. Sakura hadn't heard even a whisper of Sasuke's name either, not even when she had left the village to dig up information. She could only that meant he was so occupied with training he wasn't actually doing anything else (if Sasuke's mind could be categorized, it was definitely a one-track one).

"Sakura, have you been up all night? Your dad'll freak if he finds out!"

Sakura lifted her head from the table to glance at her supposed boyfriend; people had been encouraging her to spend more time with Sai after the retrieval mission, but Sakura had ignored them. For one thing, she would never have been able to stand it, even if it would have been to her advantage.

However, she realised she needed to make a show of trying to move on with her life, even if her reason for training was still rooted in the past; Lee... she had considered it, but he didn't deserve to be caught in this so tightly. Tenten was far better for him. Neji was a Jonin, and jumped to suspicion too easily. He was also busy stalking Ino (who was stalking Sai).

Shikamaru was a definite no – he wasn't suspicious like Neji, but he was too smart in his own right for something not to give her away. He seemed to have mixed emotions about Ino too, so that solved that problem. Choji was, again, too nice. He was also stuck in a tangle with Sai over Hinata.

This knowledge was probably considered useless by many, but Sakura knew it would be in her best interests to know who was sweet on whom in the future. She knew all too well.

"I couldn't sleep... I just keep wondering what they're doing, so I thought I'd try studying instead..." Sakura replied as Kiba took a seat at the table next to her.

She had decided to seek Kiba out primarily for the reason that he had once been fond of Naruto; it wasn't strange for them to get along after she and Sasuke had left the village. It was even less strange for them to advance to something above friendship.

Kiba was perfect really; he was nice, definitely affectionate, but he was a bit more back-boned than Choji or Lee were. He'd stand up better in the end. Sakura had only just started growing into her new alliance, and some things still made her uncomfortable. She had to show a normal life, but that meant people were going to get hurt.

Sakura held the same hatred for the village as her real team-mates did, the team-mates she would have had if Naruto had stayed in Konoha. She really did, but... Sakura did not find it as easy as Naruto and Sasuke did to drop everyone she cared about; Naruto knew that, and Sakura was certain that was the reason she was here instead of with them right now.

She wouldn't betray them, but she wasn't ready to leave yet, even if she was on their side.

And that was why she picked Kiba – she would be going one day, and she wanted to be sure the people closest to her would be tough enough to handle that. Ino would be spitting mad once everything sunk into her mind, and would probably make it her aim in life to finish her off in Konoha's name, and Kiba would join her.

"What are you doing here this early? I thought we were going to meet up later?" Sakura asked, surprised by the sudden morning visit. Kiba wasn't the type to be so spontaneous without a reason.

"Tsunade-sama sent me to get you; Jiraiya's informants caught wind of some movement from Orochimaru, so she's sending your team out. I was in her office when she got the report, so she asked me to tell you..." he replied; she'd have to be blind if she couldn't see the jealousy in his voice.

Sakura froze in her seat at the words; movement from Orochimaru. That meant that Naruto and Sasuke were starting to move again, start putting whatever plans had been made into action...

"The Kazekage, he's that redhead she hung around with during the Chunin exams; he got caught by the Akatsuki, and Naruto and another red head got involved... They were heading for Grass country." Kiba added.

It took all of Sakura's self control not to let her relief, anticipation, or joy show on her face. It was with a rushed pace that she hurried through her morning shower ritual before pulling on her clothes.

She had a pair of dark green skin-tight shorts beneath her mid-thigh-length beige ones, black boots, a snug-fitting red halter-neck vest, and some black gloves (extending into arm guards three quarters up her arm to protect them from her Kusarigama – she wasn't perfect it just yet).

Once she had tied her red headband to her hip, picked up her med-pack, Kusarigama, shuriken holster, and kissed Kiba goodbye, she was out of the door in a blur.

All her waiting was over, and it was about damn time.

* * *

Sasuke was meditating the night Naruto was due to arrive back at the current main base, though she was still a few days late; at first, she'd managed on chakra from him only every six months, but that rate had rapidly deteriorated in the past three years, and the amount she needed just increased as they grew older.

When he meditated, he found that he could make twice as much chakra than average, and if he did the same tomorrow morning, he'd be able to train on what he had left. There was no denying that it was definitely a hindrance to_ both_ of them, but it was unavoidable unless he wanted her to die.

That was something he definitely did not want. It wasn't as bad as it had been when her bloodline first developed either, even if Karin's chakra wasn't as sufficient any more. He also found that having some control over something between them for once was a very good feeling.

The clang of the main hall doorway told him Naruto and Karin had arrived, but he didn't break out of his trance just yet. He never greeted Naruto in front of Orochimaru – he wouldn't give the greasy git that satisfaction.

He had learned almost all he could from the man now; he suspected that had something to do with why Naruto was starting to make her move. Orochimaru would be coming after him soon, and that meant it was time for them to leave.

It wasn't long before he heard the familiar sound of her boots on the floor of the corridor, and the door to his room creaked open. He opened his eyes and watched her appear from behind the door, and silently close it behind her, before finally casting her own eyes towards him.

She didn't look as badly travel-worn this time, and he wondered if that was a sign she was starting to get a little more control over the bloodline. They knew it could be controlled to a certain extent, but the demand for chakra in her was usually just too strong when they saw each other after the separation to know how far it extended though.

"You took longer than normal to get here" he stated, silently asking her why she was a couple of days late.

"We saw Gaara having some trouble with some fleas when we were travelling through Tree Country; I had to use a life transfer technique on him once I got rid of that puppet freak since his demon was sucked out, but it's not really a problem to lose some of it..." she replied, crossing the floor and dropping her med-pack in its usual spot beside his sword.

"...it turns out were a good match chakra wise too. He let me stock up once he'd recovered; I think it might be a demon thing... I never considered that another Jinchuriki might be more compatible with me than someone without a demon... He doesn't have one anymore, but he adapted to the Ichibi the same way I did with the Kyuubi..." she added, before he could yell at her about digging herself into a deeper hole.

Naruto smirked then, plopping down beside him on the bed he was seated on.

"He told me we're welcome in Suna any time - I still can't believe they made him a _Kage_, but he seems to enjoy bullying everyone... I think I'll pay him a visit when Orochimaru starts acting up" she grinned.

Sasuke did not grin; he liked Gaara well enough, having met him a couple of times. He didn't want her spending more time than necessary by herself with him though. He wasn't exactly threatened by Gaara, but he didn't believe the chakra issue was going to get in the way when Orochimaru made his move.

He could delay it until Orochimaru weakened, and at that point he would be able to handle the man even if Naruto had drained a bit of his usual reserves. Of that he was certain, even if Naruto wasn't. Naruto noticed his frown and a familiar look of frustration crossed over her face.

One thing that had become painfully clear to him in the past three years was that Naruto's need to manipulate people wasn't just Orochimaru's influence; he'd found out more about when she had been trained in ROOT in the times she had been back, and knew it was because so much of her early life had been completely beyond her control.

Now that he knew that, he was much better equipped to resit it himself, especially with the cards he had in his hand; Naruto was already influenced by the Kyuubi. She needed to rip the head off something or someone at least once a week lest she snap. It also applied to other activities, when they were together at any rate, and he could hold that over her head.

He wasn't above holding back on his chakra either; he knew how much she needed to function at her most basic level, and he could restrict it to that if she really took things too far. He had discovered that if concentrated enough, he could withhold it even when she tried to claw it out of him.

Maybe that was going a bit too far, but he didn't have too many cards to use against her. He wasn't quite as skilled in manipulation as she was, so he had to make do with what he had. He wasn't as easily persuaded to things as when he had been thirteen, and Naruto had to get used to it.

He'd follow her to hell and back, but she had to learn to relax her need to control everything around _him_; so, he held it over her head, and it definitely worked. He watched her frown dissipate, and then felt the press of her lips on his, and the slow tug on his chakra. At the same time, he could feel her irritation - the Kyuubi chakra swirling in her coils.

It was slow, but it was there, and while he knew she would try convincing him otherwise later, he knew he had won when he felt the draw on his chakra increase, the low growl of acquiescence from her as she pressed her lips against his a little more firmly.

If he saw her regularly, it wouldn't have been so easy to do, but combining both the urges from the Kyuubi and her chakra problems with the large gaps between their meetings, it had a very high success rate. He pulled her closer to him with one arm, responding to the kiss, but not the chakra demand.

The tug strengthened, and the press of her lips strengthened again, much more demanding this time, her fingers going to the roots of hair at the base of his neck, tugging on them. He broke off the contact, levelling her with a firm and unrelenting stare. Her eyebrows furrowed, and her eyes started bleeding red, but that didn't intimidate him anymore.

He continued to glare at her, steadfastly refusing to give in to the tug on his chakra until, finally, she looked away. Turning her chin back to face him with one hand, and kissed her himself, relenting his hold on his chakra, as he pushed her back onto the bed.

He had won for now – she'd be snappy tomorrow, would utterly thrash him in their usual sparring session, and would probably even bite him the next few times he tried to kiss her, but that would be later.

He hadn't seen her for three months, and was more concerned with catching up.

* * *

_**And there we have the introduction first chapter of Part II! **_

_**Sakura has some reservations despite herself, Sasuke has found a crack in Naruto's armour for once, and Naruto is not adapting well to that or her bloodline. Or Sasuke's growing rebellious side XD. Safe to say there's going to be problems in the future...**_

_**I got some background in on Karin here, since I didn't want to go anymore over my page limit in Part I. As for Kiba... he just made sense since I put a few hints about him having a crush on Naruto in part I. He may or may not have a big role in this... I can't quite decide yet.**_

_**Kudos to Mariokutai Reincarnated for the Beta work^^  
Title is 'Dangerous Kind' by The Rasmus – it seems to fit somehow. XD  
**_

_**Hope you liked!  
**__**Nat  
**__**xxx**_


	22. Part II: Bad Romance: Lemon

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY–TWO  
- - BAD ROMANCE - -**

* * *

_**'Love is a fire. But whether it is going to warm your heart or  
burn down your house, you can never tell' – Joan Crawford.**_

* * *

Sasuke was woken by the thick draw on his chakra from Naruto; she had no control over her bloodline in her sleep, and while it was much less pronounced, it siphoned chakra from him in the night.

Usually this wasn't a problem since Naruto usually stayed in her own room, but her first night back was always spent in his. At least the bloodline went into a kind of hibernation when she was sleeping, so he could cope with it, especially now his reserves had increased, but he still didn't like the wake up call.

Thankfully all he had to do to wake Naruto up was stop the flow of his own chakra for a moment; it worked as well as pushing her out of bed or yelling. Mere seconds after he'd stopped her access to it, her eye snapped open. She glared at him, and shoved his arm off from around her before picking up her clothes and pulling them on.

"Naruto..." he started, hoping to fend of some of her grouchy attitude.

He wasn't going to be led around by the ear now, but that didn't mean he had to like the resulting backlash from trying to get a hand in things. In fact, it was the last thing they needed when the transfer date was getting all the closer.

"Save it – if you think you can mange Orochimaru when the time comes then go ahead, but don't expect my help if things don't go your way" Naruto snapped, not even bothering to look over her shoulder.

"I can manage him Naruto – even if he does start the ritual I can still control it with the Sharingan; he'll wait until the last moment and then he'll come after me. I can easily beat him when he's weakened-"

Naruto threw his shirt at him, stalking towards the door without a backward glance; he glared at her back as she paused on opening the door.

"Maybe so, but I don't know all his tricks Sasuke! I've told you everything I know, and frankly that isn't all that much compared to what I _don't!_ I'd have thought after _my_ bloodline reared it's stupid head, you'd know better than to bank on your _own!_" she replied, before slamming the door behind her.

Sasuke let out a few choice oaths of frustration as he started pulling his own clothes on; he wasn't stupid – he knew how much of a problem her bloodline was.

He was the one getting his chakra sucked out of him every damn day (when she was around at any rate) wasn't he? He had been training under Orochimaru for the past three years, and while he would admit that Naruto knew more about him than he did, he wasn't oblivious! He knew it would take a heck more than just his Sharingan to kill him!

He didn't know what had happened, but ever since her bloodline had activated, Naruto had been getting even more unreasonable when he was trying to talk to her. It didn't have to be something important, but that was usually when it came out.

Like when she drained her reserves too much working in the labs; he didn't know what the heck she was doing in there with Kabuto every time she came back, but he knew she had finished the cure for Sakura several months ago. Or as much as she could. It had occurred to him that she was doing something of importance though - she still had a nasty habit of keeping things to herself.

Things he should in all likelihood be aware of if they were really going to pull off either of their plans. He hadn't expected that to change, but he was more than annoyed by it all the same. He could stand up to her games now, even beat her at them, but sometimes he couldn't help but notice how little things had changed in the past three years.

Picking up his sword, the slam of his door as he left the room for some meditation was just as loud as Naruto's had been.

* * *

"Sakura, Sai, this is Yamato – He'll be joining us on this mission. This is Sora, He's coming along too. They both have some unique abilities that will be helpful in regards to Sasuke and Naruto."

"Helpful how exactly?" Sai asked, looking at Yamato inquiringly.  
"You'll have to wait and see won't you?" the brown haired man replied.

He wore a smile that made Sakura give an internal shiver of revulsion on his face. She didn't know why, but the guy gave her the heebie-jeebies. There was a very uneasy silence as the group left the village gates.

Sakura gave the two additions to her team a friendly smile, but internally, her mind was racing a mile a minuet; she had heard of Sora in the interrogation department. He was a trainee ninja monk at the Fire Temple, and aside from wind natured chakra (lucky twerp), his abilities had something to do with the Kyuubi. She hadn't heard of Yamato though, and she could only assume that meant he was in the ANBU.

ANBU files were ones that permanently seemed to elude her; she had searched Tsunade's office as best she could, top to bottom, and she still couldn't find them. The two additions didn't really look that impressive, but Sakura knew better than to judge a book by its cover.

Then again, that monk boy just looked grouchy – she didn't think the two of them were going to get along. She just had that gut feeling, and since when had her gut feeling been wrong? The ANBU though... He was a cause for concern, especially if Tsunade had sent him along as a watch dog.

They picked up their pace once they were beyond the village border, taking their path up into the trees; their mission was to follow the trail that Naruto had left from the Akatsuki base she had rescued Gaara from. They already knew the trail led to Grass Country from the team who had seen her.

Sakura was glad there were orders in place that gave her team first pick over missions concerning Naruto, otherwise she would have been stuck in Konoha until Naruto came looking for her. It was all well and good being a spy, but if she didn't get the information she had to Naruto then what good was it?

Sakura just wished they would get to grass country a little faster... That Yamato creep was giving her a very watchful look as they travelled. He hadn't done anything yet, but there was something about him that niggled at her, and it wasn't his watchdog behaviour.

Sakura wasn't stupid – she knew exactly why Tsunade had taken her on as an apprentice. It was to make sure that if she was less than loyal, she knew where she was, what she was doing, and where to put her hands on her if she needed to be stopped. It was only her own attention to detail that had kept her spying fully secret (Tsunade was still just being careful at the moment).

She had noticed when her movements were gradually restricted to three places within the village when she wasn't on missions aside from her own home and the shops – Tsunade's office, the T&I department, and the hospital. She still trained, but Sakura found her workload increasing over the years...

Tsunade was making sure she was so busy, she never had time to work on anything that might not be in Konoha's best interests.

Four days passed without incident, until they reached the border of Grass country; Sakura was following her team-mates through the trees when she felt the presence of some very highly concentrated earth chakra somewhere in front of them, above them...

She couldn't see anything when she looked up, but she knew there was something there...

Narrowing her eye's she realised she had been feeling the tingling, concentrated presence for at least a few hours. She had just assumed it was something to do with her new team-mates. It felt like an exploding tag did just before explosion, suggesting a trap of some kind, but it had been following them...

Her eyes narrowed, and Sakura silently made a shadow clone; it had taken a year to manage the chakra, and another year to manage without a word release, but it had definitely paid off. She covered it with a camouflaging illusion, then turned back to the chakra presence.

* * *

Naruto ignored the screams of her less-than-voluntary specimen; normally, she would have enjoyed it, but it was just distracting her right now, no thanks to Sasuke. Four days since arriving, and she had barley talked to him since.

She knew he wasn't an idiot, that he wasn't so stupid as to rely on his bloodline against Orochimaru, but that was the way he was headed. Alright, it wasn't that at all – she knew perfectly well he would manage even if Orochimaru did throw some surprises at him... She hoped anyway.

She just hated it when he tried to control her like that – she hated it, but she didn't really have any choice in letting him when when it was a case of being withheld chakra. Sex, she could manage without – she could just go hunting and work off the frustration that way.

Chakra was different though; she really did need that. Sasuke knew where her minimum dosage limit was now, but... She wouldn't say she had developed a taste for his specifically, but it was something similar. She supposed that was her bloodline at work. If the chakra of her benefactor was all the more appealing, the more she was likely to leech up.

It was fine at a distance, but closer confines, or when there was skin contact between them... it much the same as it was when the Kyuubi started coming out in her base level instincts. It didn't matter if Sasuke was holding it over head or not – the draw to it was there, and she was not good enough at controlling it yet.

It took years to control her bloodline, simply because it was based such a primal part of her instincts; her body's need for chakra. Fair enough, she'd had it for three years now and her chakra control exercises certainly helped, but she hadn't seen Sasuke that much in those three years either. When she had, it had only been for a week at a time, maybe more, but often less.

She couldn't control it, so Sasuke held it over her head. She couldn't control him by withholding information on Itachi since he didn't care about it, but she couldn't go without his chakra either. She wished her bloodline had never reared it's ugly head – she didn't like being unable to control things, she didn't like it at all.

The girl strapped down to the table was still screaming as she calmly sliced her open, searching for the reaction she wanted from her internal organs. She had already injected the girl with several varieties of drugs, hoping one of them would achieve the effect she wanted, but so far no luck.

As for why the girl wasn't unconscious... Well Naruto had been hoping to distract herself from the thoughts on Sasuke's stupid rebellious streak with some good old torture and goal-orientated research. Neither were working.

She had already injected some of the stock-sperm from the stores into the girl's womb; She had to get right in with her hands to speed up the pregnant-process with an acceleration medical technique, hence the cutting open. Now that she was gravid, all Naruto had to do was add her ingenious mixes to her bloodstream one at a time.

After observing the effects of one, she removed the drug from her, gave her a blood transfusion, and then started all over again. She still wasn't getting the effects she wanted though... The result was still deformed no matter how many times she tried it, and she knew exactly what the problem was.

The growth acceleration was all out of control... It needed some sort of restriction on it to keep the fast growth pace up, but not let it go so fast that it over developed and came out... deformed...

Naruto stared at the girl rather suddenly as the thoughts entered her mind; she had long passed out from the pain now, but she was like a horrible nameless thing all of a sudden, glaring down on her, threatening everything she had worked for up till this point, and it was a stain on her vision.

Naruto kicked the metal table to the ground, raised her palm, and aimed a shot of dark red chakra towards her, watching it start to disintegrate girl almost instantly. The smell of smoke had Kabuto arrive at the door just as she stalked out of it, trying to control the involuntary shudders threatening to take over her.

She had to get out. She had to kill something. She had to kill someone, now. She had to get rid of all this... frustration, one way or another.

Stalking down the corridors, she headed for the training halls. She knew Sasuke and Orochimaru would be using the main one, but frankly she didn't care, and even Orochimaru knew better than to get in her way when she needed to fight someone this badly.

The occupants of the halls steered clear from her path as she passed them, recognising the imminent death for one unlucky soul on her face, but she barley noticed them. She didn't know what that had been but... it felt like a omen.

An omen of everything crumbling beyond her control.

* * *

Expanding the range of her sensory capacities, Sakura concentrated on finding the ninja hidden nearby.

The dark haired boy named Sora was doing nothing but complaining, and it was distracting her subvert concentration(she was right they didn't get along – even Sai didn't like him). Thankfully Kakashi was able to placate him a little, and Sakura could go back to her concentration as they rushed through the trees.

It was obviously an illusion, but it was too far away for her to dispel it – she needed to find there presence first, then attack it. She made certain to watch the earth and trees around her with her eyes, while she furiously focused her chakra several yards up into the sky above their heads...

There was two of them. Two strong ninja, and one definitely had the Earth Element And possibly the Fire Element too... she could get that much from the broad sweep of the area... But broad wasn't good enough; it had to be exact if her own illusion was going to work on them...

She was using a basic loop illusion, creating a running image over and over again, but layering it a couple of times was enough to work for what she had in mind... There! She had finally located them. They were about twenty meters above their heads – easy picking for her.

Rushing all her chakra to her feet she kicked off from the ground, one hand forming a dispel seal as she rushed upwards. She felt the tell-tale signs of her own illusion being seen through and dispelled, but she'd got her one chance; the illusion of blue melted away, and she quickly redirect her chakra to her fists. She ploughed them into the first thing the came into contact with.

It turned out to be the face of Itachi Uchiha, and he was sent flying through the air of his strange transport bird towards the earth. Sakura didn't know whether to me sore surprised that she had fooled Itachi Uchiha with an illusion, if even for a moment, or that the blond kid her own age she had missed was whooping with gleeful laughter at the whole thing.

The laughter didn't last long, and the blonde turned his attention to her with a fast kick; utilising her earth based chakra, Sakura formed an earthy armour over her skin, dipping low to dodge at the same time. The action brought her into attacking range of his feet; charging a frankly pathetic amount of lightning to her hands, she shocked his ankles before he could retaliate.

It removed his stability, disturbing the chakra in his feet keeping upright on the floating transport device; all it took was a grip of his ankle and a strong fling in the right direction before he was following Itachi back down to earth. Stabling herself on the device, Sakura stood up and smirked down at the two Akatsuki members.

The blonde stared up at her, looking very put out for a few moments, before forming a hand seal alongside a smirk of his own.

"Katsu!" he yelled.

There was a roaring of reacting chakra elements beneath her, before all hell broke loose in the form of a huge fiery explosion.

* * *

After four days of nothing but glares from Naruto, Sasuke was getting irritated. Not by her blatant anger, that he could live with, but by her complete lack of self awareness.

Screams had been emerging from the experimentation lab she regularly used all day in the past few days, and it was only this afternoon they had stopped. Then she had stalked out of the labs to the dead lands outside, looking completely off centre. He knew exactly why she was off centre.

Not once in the past four days had she taken in any extra chakra – not from anyone. It was beginning to get to her. It wasn't a new thing for her to go without it when she was in a bad mood, but not for this long. Her increasingly short temper was an indicator of the effect it was having on her.

Sasuke had learned that the best way to deal with Naruto when she acted like this was to ignore her, and let her deal with the problem herself, but four days was too long for her to go without chakra. Her limit was six days at a very big push, and then she just collapsed from all the pressure on her own reserves.

To make matters worse, she had been using those reserves like mad in the labs, and she had used the Kyuubi chakra today – it had been felt all over the base. She was being reckless at a point in time that they certainly didn't need it. Orochimaru's voice had contained a smug lilt the past few training sessions, and it made his skin crawl.

It made him think that the man had been waiting for this to happen, or that this was exactly why he had separated them. Maybe he hadn't expected Naruto's bloodline to emerge so early, but he had probably been hoping the separation and Naruto's own problems to self destruct their plans.

In any case it was a reminder of just how unwise it was for Naruto to be loosing control of her temper right now, and thus the reason he had lowered his chakra as flat as he could, and was concealing himself in the shadowy corridor just next to her door.

He didn't have to wait long for her to return; she looked calm, but her hand fumbled with the doorknob several times. She was feeling the effects of being reckless now for certain, and for being stubborn. Moving up beside her, he deliberately pulled her down the hall to his own room, his fingers deliberately grasping a patch of bare skin on her arm and preventing the draw.

Opening the door, he pushed her inside and locked the door behind him with his chakra – she had made him the lock herself. It reacted to his chakra and his alone – she wasn't avoiding him now even if she wanted to.

The look was fierce, enough to prickle the skin on the back of his neck with the Kyuubi showing in her eyes as she glared up at him. She was taller than she had been by far, but the top of her head was only just on level with his nose in their bare feet – he knew that was why she had heels on her boots. She hated any threat over her control of things, both physical and mental.

The glare was not new to him any more though – he'd trained with her and seen her using the Kyuubi too much in the past few years for it to bother him now, and he stared her down, waiting for her patience to run out.

It didn't take very long. The glare was not new to him anymore though – he'd trained with her and seen her using the Kyuubi too much in the past few years for it to bother him now, and he stared her down, waiting for her patience to run out.

"Move" she snarled after only a moment's patience.  
"No."

She moved quickly, very quickly; if she'd had the chakra to enhance it, he wouldn't have been able to keep up with her. Her recklessness worked to his advantage though. Dodging her lunge he flickered behind her, spun her around then slammed her into one of the walls, forcing his lips onto her own.

For a moment she relaxed, letting his chakra pour into her, starting to drag it out of him by her own will as she kissed him back. Her hand wound amongst the soft spiked of his hair, then she realised what she was doing and actually blocked his chakra as best she could, turning his head away from her with the hands that had been encouraging him.

Grabbing her wrists before she could try to run again, he pressed he back against the wall, making use of his broader body and strength to keep her escape routes blocked; Naruto was faster than he was, and very good at dodging thanks to her family style, but physically he was a tad stronger than she was, and that was saying something.

"Get _off_" Naruto hissed, still trying to block his chakra despite the close parameters and skin contact on her wrists.

"No – you need to get used to this. If you don't get my chakra you'll die and you know it Naruto. You can't ignore it just because I won't listen to everything you say without a grain of salt anymore!" he hissed, still trying to force his chakra on her again, with a bit more insistence this time.

He didn't understand why she had to be so stupid about this whole thing – he knew she was obsessive on controlling things, but to the point where she pushing herself this much? He could see how much effort it was taking not to leech as much as she could from him all over her face! She had gone too far this time.

"I'll go with you to hell and back, but if you think you're going to drag me along like Sakura you have another thing coming Naruto – you need my chakra, and I'm not going to give you more than the minimum if you keep trying to string me along like a dog" her told her pointedly, muttering his words in a low tone by her ear.

He could feel the glare on his neck, and her attempts to throw him off weren't as noticeable as they had a few moment previous; apparently his words were penetrating through her tunnel vision and to the rational part of her mind.

Naruto let out another snarl of frustrated anger, before finally relenting and letting his chakra seep into her. She hadn't relented though, not one bit. She just needed the chakra too much. Maybe that would help remind her of the fact that she actually needed him now, but some reinforcement wouldn't hurt either.

He turned his lips back to her own, tugging on the mesh leggings and underwear beneath her skirt with one hand. After un-knotting the rope on his waist and discarding the pelt it held in place, he twisted them around. Sliding down the wall, he pushed aside his own trousers and brought her down on top of him.

Naruto gasped in surprise, her arms clamping around his neck and her nails digging through his shirt into his back. He let out a hiss of surprise when her teeth clamped over his cursed seal, the deliberate agitation of it just encouraging him all the more.

Pulling her back down again, Sasuke had to wonder if he sometimes antagonized Naruto on purpose for the angry sex.

* * *

_**Yes, the lemon isnt even a lemon. It's pathetic. I'm trying to focus on the problems of being in control between the two idiots more than the physical stuff, but I'll continue it next chapter, so that will be a peace offering for the time being. There, lemon warning for next chapter complete.**_

_**It'll be right of the bat; you have been warned. Though that being said, I' didnt really five a warning for this chapter... meh, this is an M-Rated fic. I take it as a general assumption that M-Rated fics contain lemons when of the romance varietey. There will be more in the future, and I'll probably forget to warn you about them all.**_

_**Sakura will finally get some love of her own now that she's met Deidara, but it'll be a while yet... Maybe. I'm not certain how quickly that's going to progress. Faster than the idiots easily, because it wont be as complex, but... depends on how fast I write and how my brain gets plot to paper. **_

_**As for Kiba, I've had it in the Summary that this will be a DeiSaku pairing since part one. Kiba has his role, but it's not going to have him end up with sakura. He will have a role though. You'll just have to wait and see what it is *nyeh heh heh...***_

_**As for the pairings Sakura mentioned in the previous chapter... They're not so important yet, but here they are all the same; it was a little confusing, so here's a clearer version- Lee and Tenten have a mutual like, and Neji likes Ino, who likes Sai, who has a thing for Hinata. Shikamaru is also fond of Ino (I don't like ShikaTema at all), and Choji is also interested in Hinata. None are definite yet, because I haven't determined how influencial they will be to the plot.**_

_**This chapter is dedidcated to Eisfuchs, for her awesome fanart of Naruto! There is a link to it in my profile XD Again, many thanks! I LOVE it! For readers of my other stories... Insider and Dichtomy of Family and Genetics are both drawing to a close, so I've started a poll for their replacements. I realise I have stories that need to be finished, but they are stories that are picky over when their muses hit me. Theyre not really regular updaters if you know what I mean.**_

_**The poll is for the two choice I'll hopefully be updating more regularly in their stead. I have four possibilities, so I'd appreciate the feedback^^**_

_**Title is **_**'Bad Romance' ****_by Lady Gaga, but also covered by 30 Seconds To Mars... It's a much darker song on their cover, and the relationship between Sasuke and Naruto has never been a healthy one in this story; it's definitely going to get worse before it gets better..._**

**_Well, hope you liked the chapter.  
Nat.  
xxx _**


	23. Part II: She Bangs: Lemon

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY–THREE  
- - SHE BANGS - -**

* * *

_**'One should absorb the colour of life, but one should never remember its details.  
Details are always vulgar' – Oscar Wilde**_

* * *

Naruto hated her bloodline. Before he bloodline showed up, everything had been under her control, including Sasuke, but now?

Now, it was taking all her effort not to groan as Sasuke pulled her straight down on top of him; she wouldn't give him the satisfaction, even if she couldn't curse at him (her voice was nothing more than hot breath on his neck). It certainly didn't help that she was drunk on chakra at the moment either.

Really, if it wasn't so much easier for her to leech his chakra from him this way, she doubted their sex life would be half as active as it was. It took up valuable training and planning time for both of them, but the fact was, it was much easier all around to get it from him this way, especially in the big doses like this one.

That didn't mean to say their problems were cleared up though; one of Sasuke's hands had hold her her hip in a near bruising grip, the other furiously tugging her hair by the roots to open up her neck. He moved her hips, intending to pull her sharply back down again, and she twisted away at the encroaching pull.

She failed – irritatingly, he had more upper-body strength than she did, so she didn't escape even that one-handed grip. Only by tightening her grip in his back, her nails digging through his white shirt into his skin, and lowering her head onto his shoulder did she keep the gasp from becoming the groan it was trying to be when he pulled her hips down.

She had to do something about this, get him back under her thumb... She couldn't let him continue to have this much control over her (and Naruto was willing to admit that Sasuke did have _some_ control over her). She had brought this time on herself for going without his chakra for the past few days out of spite, but that wasn't the point...

He rammed her back down again, then doubled the impact inside her by flipping her down onto the floor and using the momentum to repeat the action. The cold stone was a harsh contrast to the sheer heat that was swallowing her – the bastard could have at least waited till her clothes were off...

No, he'd just pulled her mesh leggings and pants off before deciding to have his way – really, the floor? If she didn't know better, she'd say he was just impatient. Sasuke said nothing through this, just heavy breathing and a few grunts, much like herself. She wasn't the only one who wanted the upper hand after all. Speaking of which...

"Will you... shove off... already?" she snapped, finally succeeding in pushing him off when he pulled out momentarily.

Muttering to herself, she sat up and began looking around for her pants and mesh leggings; where the hell had the git thrown them? Screw finishing off, she could work the rest of it off training with Karin or something...

If Orochimaru hadn't decided to send the redhead away; it was about time he started trying to get in her way again, and taking away a main source of chakra for her would be very problematic... Before she could even think about finding out, Sasuke planted an arm around her waist and near dragged her back beneath him.

His weight was enough to keep her there, and his hands made quick work of dragging her thighs apart, before he slammed back inside her, seemingly with twice as much force as before. She couldn't help it – a heavy moan finally emerged from the back of her throat. Then another as he eased out , then slammed back into her again.

"Maybe _you_ can deal with the after effects by finding something to tear up Naruto, but I don't have a demon stuck inside me, so I've just got to manage with the old-fashioned way... Think you can put up with it?" he asked sardonically, some anger in his low murmur.

He pushed insider her again, and Naruto decided that she didn't care anymore, for the next however long it took for Sasuke to finish up at any rate. She answered him by pulling his lips towards her own – the harsh press of his lip drew the air from her, in much the same way she was absorbing his chakra (though by now, she probably didn't need it as much).

Picking her up by the waist, Sasuke somehow got them onto his bed and pulled at the rest of her clothes. To be honest, it was a relief to get them off, and Sasuke quickly shed his own remaining ones before getting back to buisness. His hands roamed, dragging over her skin as his lips started leaving marks in her neck again.

Breasts, stomach, thighs, his hand just headed lower and lower before her started toying with her; her breath hitched in her throat, and she whacked his shoulder before pulling her lips back onto her own. She hated it when he did that! Well, she didn't, but it still pissed her off somehow.

Linking her arms around his neck, she tried to move onto his lap herself (and thus gain control), but he pried her arms off,, pinned them either side her head, then slammed back inside her once again. The groan that escaped her almost sounded like his name, but not quite, and she knew what that meant.

It meant he wasn't going to be satisfied just yet; as he pushed inside her again, Naruto wondered if her stubbornness surrounding his name was really a form of masochism.

* * *

"I can't believe that little _twerp_ unravelled his illusion! What kind of Uchiha are you if a piddly, _Pink-haired Genin_ can unravel your illusions, yeah!" Deidara muttered to himself as he landed back on the earth.

He hadn't expected the little twerp to pull that lightning element out on his feet like that, but the formation of another clay bird had saved him from death in the nick of time. But still! How in the hell had Itachi let her get so close? That illusion was supposed to have covered them until they had passed over the group below...

Glancing around told him he had landed on the edge of the forest, not far enough ahead of the Konoha ninjas for comfort but Itachi seemed to have been thrown off near their path, so they would probably be distracted by him. Deidara was all for teamwork when he was stuck with decent partners (like Sasori or Kisame) but Itachi?

Urgh, he'd rather babysit squalling infants than be stuck with him unless he had to; with any luck the tree-huggers would finish him off, but that was getting his hopes up too much... Not to mention how much Pein would bitch at him if he let their precious Mangekyo-boy get his but kicked for once...

This truly was a conundrum, in Deidara's humble opinion.

He never got the chance to decide though; he didn't even sense the twerp until she had sprung up from the ground beneath him, crashed her fist into his face, and sent him flying back into the edge of the trees. He barley recovered in time to doge another blow aimed at his jaw.

The pink-haired girl lunged towards him again, this time aiming towards his gut with a well-aimed kick; Blocking with one arm, he threw a small selection of clay spiders at her, only for her body to disappear in puff of smoke when they exploded. He whirled around a few times, trying to find the tell-tale pulse of chakra.

He found it just in time to grab her wrist before she could send him flying from behind, flipping her from his back over his shoulder to the forest floor, his hands going to his clay-pouches once again. Something felt off when the tongues on his hands chomped on the clay though...

Withdrawing a handful, his eyes widened at the soppy clay in his hand; that time he was not prepared for for the heavy weight that crashed into his gut, sending him crashing into one of the tree trunks. Pulling back to his feet, a cloud of smoke erupted from a quickly thrown smoke bomb.

He'd been around his old partner enough to know what the wheezy feeling was when it started to settle over him; there was poison in that smoke cloud... The pink twerp must be a medic-nin if she knew how to mix them into smoke bombs...

Slumping back against the tree, Deidara struggled to avoid breathing in the smoke. He internally cursed the little brat (an upgrade – it was really only polite after she had caught him so far off guard), and Itachi. The brat for being a brat, and Itachi for being arrogant and letting her catch them off guard.

Really, it was all Itachi's fault.

* * *

Sakura smirked to herself as the blonde fell unconscious from her perch in the tree branches; she couldn't have had this plan work out any better.

After sensing the two above them above her, Sakura had attacked, and then substituted herself with the clone that had been following them on the ground before the explosion, hidden under an illusion even from her team-mates. There was another illusion working on them to let them think she was still part of the group.

Hiding under yet another illusion, she had hidden herself in the earth and lowered her chakra completely whilst the blonde recovered.

It had told her the idiot was rather bad at detecting illusions, though breaking out of them she was still unsure about. He wasn't very good at close-combat either. Judging by his explosion based attacks he was a long ranged fighter – she was a mix, but general close to mid-range. That was her advantage right away.

She had thought it odd that she could pick up on his earth nature so strongly when she first detected the two Akatsuki, but on closer quarters it had made sense after experiencing his attacks through her clone. The clay in those bags was a speciality clay – that made it both unique and vulnerable, like a bloodline.

It gave someone an edge, but rely on it too much and it would become a double edged sword; since it was a speciality clay, it probably took time to make, and was likely a very specific recipe. Earth and water got along as well as earth and lightning, so it had been simple to inject it with a large botch of her water natured chakra before he threw her over his shoulder.

Taking refuge in the trees, she had taken advantage of his surprise to throw one of her own-recipie smoke bombs. It felt a little too easy though...

Jumping down from the tree, Sakura concentrated on the chakra pulses of her team-mates; the large presence and flutter in them told her that though near, Itachi was keeping them occupied for now. That meant she could afford to waste some time gathering information.

The illusion on her team-mates had no doubt worn off, but she could cover for that. Walking over to the now prone blonde,she knelt in front of him, pulling his face up by the front of his cloak as she pulled out a kunai. Shaking him awake she made a point to press the tip against the skin of his neck.

The smoke bomb she had used wasn't very strong – she wanted to question him immediately, so it wore of faster than ususal. It still left the victim unable to move for a little while though. His eyes blinked open, and she pressed him back against the tree trunk he had landed against with both fist and kunai.

"Well aren't you a pleasant sight to wake up to?" he drawled scathingly.

"Tell me everything you know about Orochimaru and Naruto Uzumaki, _and_ what Akatsuki wants with her!" Sakura snapped, pressing the kunai against his throat; the tip nicked his skin and a tiny dribble of blood ran down his neck.

"Or what? You'll kill me? Please, a pretty little tree-hugger like you? Don't make me laugh Pinky! You haven't got the guts, yeah!" he laughed in reply.

Sakura glared at him, stood up, pulled him by his cloak collar, and flung him into another tree, hurling her kunai towards him as he crashed into the bark. Sakura watched as her kunai stabbed through the blonde's shoulder, pinning him into the tree ; it didn't react to chakra but she'd filled with her own anyway to firmly wedge it into the bark.

He wouldn't be getting that out any time soon, and that meant she'd have time to use some of the interrogation illusions she and Ino had learned from Ibiki. First though...

Sakura marched over to him, her hand glowing a eerie green as she started a chakra scalpel; didn't think she had the guts did he? Well maybe tearing up his insides would convince him otherwise; Pinning up his other hand, she scanned her palm and fingers over his gut.

The scream was unpleasant, but she'd done an interrogation a couple of times, though nowhere near as many as Ino had.  
"I won't kill you yet since you have information I want, but rest assured I can quite easily cut up a lot more than-"

The build up was the only alert, and her quick action to force her earth chakra all over her body, creating an earthy shield over her skin, was all that kept her from being blown to smithereens by the suddenly combustive clone.

* * *

"Oi, Bug-head, gimmie some chakra" Naruto demanded, throwing down one of the saws used for cutting into bones she was cleaning.

Kabuto stared at her in surprise for a few moments; Naruto ignored his surprise. Now that she had managed to escape Sasuke and his unwanted (if rather enjoyable) independent streak, she had her head screwed back in the right place.

A day had passed since Sasuke _'berated'_ her about going for so long without her chakra. As a result, Naruto had decided she did not like having an unpredictable Sasuke wandering around. Unpredictable was no use to her right now. There were the odd private occasions where it was a good thing, but not when it could send her plans spiralling into chaos.

Besides, by the time she'd given up and just given him the moan he wanted to hear, she was covered in damn bite marks and walking was something of a problem. All well and good elsewhere, but in Otogakure being fucked to an inch of her life was not strictly speaking the smartest thing to do.

Though mostly she just hated not having him under her control anymore.

She had been agonising over a solution for it, and had found one immediately – it was ludicrous how simple it was really. It would be just like when she had lured Sasuke here in the first place; he'd know what was going on, but it would drive him up the wall anyway, he'd loose his cool. He'd loose _control_.

Especially if she threw in a few false leads. She had to test it first before going after her main target though, and that was where Kabuto came in. If this worked, she could make it doubly advantageous for her. It had to work though.

Not that she thought it would fail – she knew where Sasuke's insecurities were, and she had no qualms in using them – she just had to be certain. Having some of Kabuto's chakra amongst that he had given her would definitely be the first step in that plan.

"Chakra?" Kabuto asked.  
"Yes, you know, that stuff us ninja use for killing each other, the stuff my bloodline eats up like a bitch. Chakra. Gimmie some" Naruto replied, rolling her eyes as she pointedly started up at him.

Kabuto's eyes narrowed in confusion for a few moments, before reaching his hand out towards her collarbone, where it would be most easily absorbed through average skin contact. Naruto batted the hand aside, grabbed his collar, and yanked his lips onto her own.

Kabuto's chakra was, in comparison to Sasuke's, absolutely vile, but that wasn't the point. The point was for Sasuke to notice a small fragment of it later on, and loose handle of his cool in response to his possessive jealousy (something that stemmed from his real issues in controlling her).

Really, it was so obvious it was an almost stupid solution, but the fact remained that it would be the one that worked the best. In fact... wasn't that Sasuke's chakra coming down the corridor? Oh, this was perfect! Kabuto owed her a few more favours anyway, so he would probably play along (he wasn't stupid – he knew she was plotting something the moment she asked for his chakra).

"Play along bug head – you owe me twice over for those cadavers I got you last month..." she hissed as Sasuke's chakra drew closer to the half-open doorway.

Kabuto smirked, and pressed his lips back against hers, hoisting her onto the autopsy table, deliberately leaving his hands on her thighs. Naruto pulled at him when she felt the sudden halt of Sasuke's chakra – her back was to the door, so she couldn't see his reaction through the gap, but he quickly moved on, and that was what she was hoping for.

Once she could no longer smell him so close by, she pushed Kabuto off her and immediately gagged.

"Blech – your chakra sucks Kabuto!" she complained, brushing on her tongue with her fingers, hoping to get some rid of it along with his saliva despite herself.

"You're very welcome – what was all that about? Trouble in paradise?" he asked pushing his glasses back into their proper position on his nose.

"You call this place paradise?" Naruto snorted, going to one of the scrolls on the tool trolley and unsealing a female cadaver.  
"For a wanted criminal, I'd say having a roof over my head is paradise, yes; what was that about owing you twice?" Kabuto replied, sounding serious about the roof thing.

"I want you to help me isolate where this drug is going wrong in my test subjects and create the restraints – up to the challenge Bug-head?" she asked, holding up a vial of viscous red liquid.

Kabuto's answering smirk was all the answer she needed; and Naruto settled herself down for a hard afternoon of chakra use. If some of it was gone by the time she ran into Sasuke later on, things would be that much easier.

She was in for an earful – or more likely some pretty rough stuff – but she could live with that if it shook Sasuke's confidence a little. In any case, the end result was going to be worth it.

See if he tried to force her into a corner again.

* * *

Sakura was sent flying through the air from the blast; turning mid air she managed to right her self for a somewhat violent landing, but she was still caught off guard by the blonde.

She only managed to dodge the hidden mines by picking up on the explosion-tag-feeling she had learned to associate them with underneath the earth. He must have made a clay clone with the earth around them during her smoke bomb, but how the hell was he still mobile?

Taking refuge in one of the trees again, Sakura gave another check to her team-mates and bit her lip – Itachi was still there, but the lack of activity indicated the fight was drawing to a close. This was taking more effort than she had first thought too... Concentrating back on her own fight, Sakura considered her options.

She could try to dispel his attacks with her lightning element, but frankly, it taken all her effort just to unlatch his feet from his clay bird – she'd never be able to manage it more than a couple of times before she began to drain of chakra from the effort. Her illusions had already taken a chunk of chakra too.

Trying to dodge the mines he had planted would be too risky if she engaged him head on... Just because she could sort of tell where they were didn't mean it was an exact guess. There was still a chance she could set one off, and earth armour wasn't something she could maintain for very long with the amount of chakra she had left.

She still had illusions though – she just needed to draw him out into the open for one to work, then she could use that invasion technique Inochi had taught her – it was the only one she knew, and it was very basic, but it would work. If not, she could try chopping his plums off.

One thing she had learned in Ibiki's training was that if you wanted a man to talk, then one of the best ways to go about it was chopping his balls off – one to get the message across, another if they were stubborn, then move on to the manhood. Worked every single time as far as she could tell...

Besides, if there was one nickname she loathed above all others, it was _Pinky_. The rat-bastard had it coming! Plan in mind, Sakura carefully stepped out onto the bomb-laced earth below, and called out to her opponent.

"Hey, jerk, get your girly ass out here and face me like a man – I have a proposition for you!"

* * *

_**There – lemon. Not great in my opinion, but like I said, I want to focus on the story. Sakura and Deidara aren't getting along just yet, but I think that will be rectified next chapter. ;D As for Sakura's boost, she's going to need it in the future and I maintain that if she had really trained beyond Tsunade her chakra control would have put her much further along.**_

_**As for her lightning, she can only manage a tiny spark – she can't use it for actual techniques at all yet. Sensory is something I think would develop with her illusion skills thanks to the control she has (which even Kakashi has commented on), and while it's good, Karin is still better.**_

_**It's not going to be her main use for Naruto either – that lies in her bloodline, once she gets it back. Besides, she'll need the boost if she's going to keep up with Deidara, never mind the idiot pair. XD. **_

_**Naruto... She just isn't getting it at all, and things with Sasuke are definitely going to get worse before they get better. I think Sasuke might be tortured again... He'll be less wimpy this time around though, hence the problems.**_

_**For those interested, there is a poll on my profile on which two stories are going to replace my regular-ish update spots for two stories close to finishing. I have several options, but I can't decide which ones to use. Anyone who feels like giving me a vote gets cookies :D**_

_**This chapter is dedicated to Stalker-san, who got review number 200 :D :D :D :D :D :D :D 200! You have no idea how much that boggles me. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed this story! Cookies for everyone!**_

_**Title is '**_**She Bangs' ****_by Ricky Martin._**

_**Hope you all liked the chapter.  
Nat.  
xxx**_


	24. Part II: Shut Up

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY–FOUR  
- - SHUT UP - -**

* * *

_**'All gods are homemade, and it is we who pull their stings,  
and so, give them the power to pull ours' – Aldous Huxley.**_

* * *

Sakura stiffened when the blonde Akatsuki member appeared behind her, a kunai pressed to her throat; his other hand had, in the instant of his appearance, secured both her wrists behind her with apparent muscle-enhancing of his own.

"Just what kind of proposition were you proposing pinky?" he asked, the question a direct murmur against her ear.

Sakura felt her heartbeat speeding up rapidly; it was one thing to be shouting and cocky when she was fighting, but if she made a wrong step now... The fact she was dealing with an Akatsuki member certainly didn't help. This was the best solution she could think of to get what she wanted until she could come up with something to grind his exploding ass into the dirt.

"You have information I want, and there's bound to be some information you want; I'm not above equivalent exchange if it means I get to achieve my goals" Sakura replied, trying to stay as still as possible, and keep her internal panic to herself.

The blonde felt much bigger than he had when she was throwing him around the trees, but so close up was a reminder that he had a height advantage over her; feeling small was not something she liked,and it made her uneasy. She needed as much information as she could get before breaking into Orochimaru's lair with the rest of the team, and this was a perfect opportunity.

Any information she could worm out of him now would be especially beneficial when she met Naruto, and when she returned to Konoha. She loathed feeling so small though. Apparently her words had caught his attention though because he leaned over her shoulders to give her a surprised stare with a slight tilt of his head.

"Well, well, well, a little traitor is it? You know, you're supposed to scratch out your headband when you betray your village... it not a rule, but it is a custom you know?" he replied, somehow managing to mix teasing into the derision.

"What makes you think I'm a traitor yet?" she replied, not in a snap but still rather smartly.

He smirked at her, and Sakura fought the urge to ram her fist into his face – he may be using some chakra to enhance his own muscles but she could break out of the grip he held on her wrists easily. She just wanted information more than her pride at the moment (though she was beginning to wonder if it was worth it).

"You just offered to sell out your village for personal gain _Pinky_; you've got traitor written all over you even if you are wearing the at headband, yeah. Either you're a spy, you've got a grudge, you're crazy, or you just got bored playing with the rules... so tell me, which one is it?" he asked.

"Probably... all but the crazy" Sakura replied, after a brief moment of thought.

There was a long, nerve-racking pause, before the kunai that had been pressed against her throat relaxed; Sakura almost let out a sigh of relief. Then her eyes widened as the Akatsuki stabbed her in the gut instead, and her clone disappeared in a puff of smoke.

The memories rushed back to her in her hiding place amongst the branches and Sakura swore. Before she could vacate her hiding place, one of his hands pushed her back against the trunk, and her eyes widened as he planted his lips against her own.

* * *

Sasuke knew exactly what Naruto was trying to do when she pulled Kabuto's tongue down her throat. He still hated it though.

He didn't know why she had to go so far to stay in control of things; well, he did, but he didn't see it as necessary where he was concerned. He'd followed her here. Not Itachi, nor Orochimaru, _her_. He could have stayed in Konoha, and done the sensible thing.

After everything she had done back then, he'd have been _well_ within his rights to that too, but she just didn't get it. She didn't need to control him the way she seemed to think she did. So he didn't let her walk all over him any more - did it really change anything?

There was only so much of this he could understand, especially when she decided to have Kabuto stick his tongue down her throat. Kabuto! Of all people she picked _him?_ Kabuto was a bug, and she'd have no qualms on killing him even if they were friends. She was nuts! Why the hell would he be jealous of him?

Why the hell _was_ he jealous of him? Maybe it was because he knew she'd go further just to get him pissed off, especially if it kept her bloodline under better control. She'd not gone so far as to find a secondary chakra source just yet, but he knew that the idea was definitely in her head now. If only as side-thought...

The problem was Naruto had a tendency of acting on her side-thoughts; he wished Orochimaru was here for him to vent his frustration on, but the man had left a few hours after watching Naruto forcing complications again. He'd taken Kabuto with him too, so he couldn't even vent his anger on the bug-eyed freak either.

Naruto had locked herself up in the labs with one of her experiments, so he would wait until she got out before confronting her; he was used to the experiments that went on here now, but they were still sometimes more than his stomach could handle.

Entering one of the halls, Sasuke sat down on the raised platform that was close to the main entrance and ran his fingers through his hair in frustration; he had no idea how he was supposed to convince Naruto that she could trust him. He could yell at her, try to keep her close by restricting access to his chakra, but that was just going to make it all worse.

She had told him very little about how she planned to bring back Uzushiogakure; he could see how Sakura's bloodline would be useful if she ever got it back, but he knew there were other people she wanted to recruit too. He didn't know anything about them, or how she planned to bring Uzushiogakure back without attracting attention from Fire Country.

She said Orochimaru wasn't as easy to kill as he was expecting, but he knew that already! She said not to rely on his bloodline, but to be brutally frank, at least he could _use_ his bloodline in the middle of a fight. He would be stupid not to do so - eventually, she'd be able to steal the chakra of enemies, but it would take years, or some _serious_ practice, for her to gain that level of control.

He had no idea what was going through her head – he knew her better than anyone else, but he still couldn't figure out why she insisted on trying to control everyone around her. Especially when she didn't even need to. The sound of the doors opening met his ears and he pulled his inner turmoil back beneath his skin as Orochimaru entered the room.

He was flanked by Kabuto, as usual, but there was a Konoha ninja on his other side that Sasuke couldn't make out all that clearly; concentrating on the chakra of the figure though, he could tell they had been in close contact with Sai and Sakura.

"You're _late_ Orochimaru; you were supposed to be teaching me the basis for the skin-shed this afternoon..." he grated towards his teacher.

Orochimaru didn't look a bit surprised by the grumpy tone or lack of respect; Kabuto had a frown on his face though, and it made him feel like squashing the irritating little bug right there. Unfortunately, that wouldn't be in his best interests right now. Not only would Orochimaru be rather pissed off, but Naruto would get even more pissed of and unmanageable than she already was. Kabuto was still useful.

"I see your mood hasn't improved since we left..." Kabuto smirked.

Sasuke's fingers clenched together once in the darkness, fighting down the urge to send a small wordless fire technique at him. It wouldn't be powerful but it would certainly help alleviate some of his growing irritation.

"Leave him alone Kabuto – our excursion was worth the effort today. We even have another child from Konoha joining us; why don't you introduce yourself? You and Sasuke will be seeing rather a lot of each other if you intend to learn from my first apprentice. Sasuke has a rather... possessive quality in his personality, so he'll no doubt be keeping an eye on your every move from now on..."

Orochimaru turned the suggestion to the ninja to one side of him, and he stepped forward,allowing Sasuke to make out the tell-tale uniform of the ninja monks at the Fire Temple. He had bluish hair, and a frown that matched his own minor ones on his face, his Konoha headband tied around one sleeve.

"My name is Sora" the boy informed him flatly.

Sasuke did not reply to the introduction, instead noting the familiar feel of the Kyuubi chakra beneath his skin. He didn't care about the boy's own reasons for turning up, but what did concern him was Orochimaru's reasons for letting him tag along in the first place.

He wasn't certain on how the snake could have found someone else with Kyuubi chakra sealed inside them but... it certainly wasn't from any sense of care.

He could still pick up on the traces of chakra belonging to his old team-mates on the boy, so that meant they were probably going to be joining them at some point too. That Sakura was showing up was to their benefit – it would save Naruto a needless journey to Konoha to talk to her if she was careful enough, or could at least tell her to expect a visit.

Something was off with that boy though, and apparently he wasn't the only one who had noticed; Naruto must have been standing at the entrance of one of the hallways for some time, but he hadn't noticed. It was a testament to just how frustrated he was with whatever she was cooking up this time.

"And just when did you plan on asking me about this, Sensei? I have better things to do than babysit a brat like him..." she grated, her eyes red with the Kyuubi chakra and almost glowing through the darkness towards the Konoha ninja.

He stiffened under the gaze, and Sasuke watched a similar slit appearing in his own eyes; after a few moments, Sasuke realised Naruto wasn't being as careful as she usually was, and he interrupted her gaze with one of his own from the Sharingan. The boy fell to his hands and knees coughing from the experience.

"That's it? What a waste of space; he isn't even a _real_ Jinchuriki - nothing but leftovers and crappy seal work. I'm not having anything to do with him. You taught me how to control the Kyuubi, so teach him yourself. He isn't worth my time when he can't even control an _eye's_ worth of chakra" she snarled, turning back to the corridor.

After a couple of steps she paused her footsteps and looked back over her shoulder at him.

"Sasuke, if you want to learn the skin-shed technique, hurry up and leave him alone... He'll be even more useless if you scare the shit out of him..." she muttered, turning back to the hallway and heading out of the entrance hall.

Sasuke gave the Konoha ninja one more glance, before snorting, and following Naruto; he did want to learn that substitution technique, but maybe he'd be able to clear things up with Naruto at the same time. It wouldn't be much, if anything, but anything would be better than nothing.

* * *

Naruto glared at Sasuke as he collapsed to his knees after his first successful attempt at skin shedding technique.

In all honesty she was amazed he had even pulled it off; when her chakra reserves used to be at full capacity all the time, it had taken half of them to manage. Now she had to use the Kyuubi chakra if she wanted to use it at all. Sasuke didn't have nearly the same reserves that she did, even stunted as they were.

He still wouldn't be able to use the technique in an actual fight though, and judging by the irritation on his face, he knew that too. She was about to start him over on the technique again, but a flicker of chakra from the doorway caught her attention... that stupid _fake_ was sneaking around by the feel of things.

"Practice the first stage by yourself for a while; if anything it'll boost your reserves enough so you can use the technique in an actual fight. Don't try the second step again today unless you want to send yourself into a coma..." she instructed, turning and heading out of the training room.

She could feel the burning gaze of his eyes on her back as she left the room, and she would be lying if she said it wasn't uncomfortable. Being uncomfortable wasn't enough for her to let him bring the topic of Kabuto up though. He could stew over it until he realised that maybe her being in charge of things was best in the long run.

Firmly closing the door behind her, Naruto started walking down the hallway, careful to keep the location of her stalker-fake in mind. No doubt Danzo had added him to the remains of team 7 to keep an eye on Sai and Sakura, but if he really thought she wouldn't realise he had an ulterior motive, he was an idiot.

Orochimaru might be willing to play along, but if the damn buzzard thought she was going to let a fake Jinchuriki kill her he had another thing coming.

Heading down the corridor she felt Sasuke's chakra leaving the training room and frowned; apparently she hadn't escaped without being given a lecture after all.

* * *

Sasuke almost let Naruto walk out of the training room without so much as a word.

It was all well and good trying to step up for himself, but arguments like this always grated and grated at him. They wore away at his patience; Naruto was stubborn, and was perfectly happy to let the stalemate continue until he gave up. He wasn't that patient, and being ignored by Naruto wasn't something he could live with for long.

Oh she talked to him, trained with him, she didn't actually avoid him but... being ignored was a stark reminder that she would all-too-happily push emotions to the backbench if they stopped her from getting what she wanted. He had a vague idea why she had planned on going looking for him, and that reason wasn't one that meant he couldn't be replaced.

All it would take was one push in the wrong direction, and things would end up going exactly the way Orochimaru wanted them to. That being said, he was still sick of being dragged around, and even the notion that he could push her too far was not enough of a reason to confront her again.

That was what he told himself – it was not because he couldn't stand the arguing any longer.

Naruto had reached one of the endless empty rooms when he finally caught up with her, and opening the door he found her napping on one of the mattresses. Or supposedly napping; there was a difference in her breathing that told him she had already been awake when he put his hand on the door.

"You can try jumping Kabuto for all I care Naruto; it's not going make me change my mind about fighting Orochimaru by myself. I can keep him in line with the Sharingan if I have to, but I'm going to need his power to kill Itachi when the time comes. Even that might not be enough, but if it is, I'll deal with him once he's served his purpose" he stated, closing the door behind him and seating himself on the edge of the bed.

Naruto made no gesture to show she had acknowledged his presence, let alone his attempt at peace negotiations, for a few moments. Then a low growl emerged from her lips into the mattress; rather childishly, she turned from her side to face down and thumped the soft furnishing with one frustrated fist.

"...you're still underestimating him Sasuke; I've fought Orochimaru's snake-form once, and he could have finished me off even if I was in my four-tailed state. I told you that as a suggestion for if he caught you off-guard, not as a viable attack. There's every guarantee that even if you do try that, he'll try to take you over in your sleep, or when your chakra's low..." she muttered.

Sasuke stiffened in surprise at the unexpected co-operation; somehow he didn't think it was from any real sense of concern for his welfare, but rather her own. She'd made it very clear that if he was going to stay in Otogakure then he had to fight his own battles. Outside of Otogakure, maybe it would be different, but not here.

Somehow, she was still twisting him around, he just couldn't see how letting him have a little leeway on something was going to benefit her in the long run. In spite of his reservations though, he was certain that some part of it did come from her tightly restricted emotions. She wouldn't have chosen those words otherwise.

One thing that hadn't changed was that while her words could have a double meaning, she didn't give outright lies. She wouldn't tell the whole truth, or may refuse to even mention things at all, but she never actually lied. Not in his mind. She'd never made it a secret that she knew more about Itachi than he did, she'd just never chose to reveal that knowledge in Konoha.

She'd even given him the opportunity to find out for himself a few months after arrival, he'd just chosen not to investigate it for fear of undermining the other half of his resolve. The fact was she had never lied about it directly when asked.

She wasn't saying anything directly right now, either but despite knowing she was doing something manipulative again, he knew she meant it very, very deep down. It wasn't the best idea to give another admission of his own but... he was sick of arguing, and when it came to this sort of thing, there very few ways he knew how to deal with her, frustrating as that was.

"...You can probably give Orochimaru a hard fight, but if you think you're going to come out of it without some serious setbacks in one form or another, you're an idiot. I've got no use for _idiots_" Naruto muttered.

"I know that; I keep _telling_ you that, but you just don't want to listen..." he started.

Naruto sat up, her eyes red in anger and giving an eerie glow in the darkness, daring him to finish his sentence. He shot back a glare of his own as he continues speaking, hoping it would drive some facts into her skull for once.

"...personally, I don't think I _can_ kill Orochimaru except when he tries to start the transfer, if I can do it at all. The difference between me and you is that I trust you enough to think you'll... the difference is I trust you. I know that's a foreign concept for you but you should at least consider giving me the same courtesy sometimes!" he replied, trying to keep as much of the snarl out of his voice as he could.

He didn't want to spark another argument now; Naruto stared at him her red eyes wide in slight surprise, before the red began to fade. After a short stop in the violet spectrum, they returned to their natural blue. He could still feel the Kyuubi chakra circulating in her system, but it meant she wouldn't be so bull headed for a while.

"You honestly think I don't trust you? You wouldn't be here _now_ if I didn't you narrow fool!" she hissed.  
"If you did, then you'd tell me what you're planning! You only trust me inasmuch that you can keep me under your thumb" he snapped back in reply.

Naruto flinched for a second, and looked away, glare still on her face.  
"That's not it and you know it" she muttered, a slight snap in her tone.

Sasuke could very easily contest that notion, but he really didn't want things to escalate to the point she tried to go without chakra doses again. If only to keep Orochimaru from having smug moments during training. She still wouldn't look him in the eye though, she wouldn't give up on this stupid control thing...

"No, I don't; I'm not a Yamanaka, and since you don't think I can be trusted, you just keep everything to yourself! So no, I don't know what reason you have for all this _stupidity!_" he hissed.

Naruto didn't even hesitate with the use of her fist, hitting him straight on the jaw; she didn't break it but it certainly hurt like a bitch. Sharingan flickering into his eyes in his own anger, he glared at her intent on giving an equally loving gesture, but stopped when he got a better look at her.

He hadn't noticed in the dark, but with his Sharingan on he could see a little more clearly; she was shaking, rather violently. One word, or a set of them, had hit a nerve in her somewhere. The one that brought her into uncharacteristic panic every so often. He'd seen it only a few times before, the most recent being the first time she'd come back from the research base with Karin.

The limitation of her bloodline had started to sink in then, and she hadn't liked it much.  
Apparently she didn't like something he had said either.

Her reached an arm up, intending to try and calm her down before the Kyuubi chakra started leaking out, but she swatted his hand away and backed up against the wall, her eyes red again and fixed in a viscous glare. Once certain he wasn't going to move near her she lunged at him with her fists, her nails leaving tiny scratches on his skin in places.

"Shut it! You think Orochimaru doesn't already know more than I want him to? I keep things to myself to make sure our plans don't fail!"

"Oh, so now you want to include me? In what? I don't know which plans you're talking about!" he snapped, grabbing hold of her arms before she could whack him again.

Naruto kicked him, rather harsly on the shin, but he didnt let go.  
"It doesn't concern-"

He punched her; normally, not something he'd do outside of a training session, but he couldn't stand this any more, and words obviously weren't working. If Naruto was tough enough to take a punch from him in training, she could take one now. She wasn't a delicate little flower after all.

Maybe he'd should have just pushed her like this in the first place. Naruto blurted things out when her temper waned thin. He'd never thought of it because she had such a good grasp on it – she had to, to stay alive in this place – but now...

"What in the hell makes you think it doesn't concern me?" he snarled.  
"Because the more you know the more dangerous you are to Orochimru!" Naruto yelled.

They both froze, both in confusion; Sasuke didn't understand the admission, and Naruto didn't seem to understand where it had come from either. After a few moments of frozen shock, Sasuke looked away from her and ran his hands throufh his hair. This wasnt working. In fact, he had a sinking feeling he had just made things worse.

"What the hell is going on?" he asked, not knowing any other way to ask the variety of questions now on his mind.

Naruto's silence answered his question for him; she didn't know either. Things had just turned into a mess between them, and if Sasuke were to place the blame anywhere, he would place it on her bloodline. It had interrupted nearly all of her plans drastically, plans that she'd been working on for years. He knew that much at least. Not that she wasnt to blame either, it was just...

He felt a hand on his shoulder; looking up, he was greeted with Nartuo's normal eyes again, and she slowly wormed into his arms tightening her own around his back. Letting out a sigh of frustration he returned the gesture flopping back onto the mattress. He didn't understand this at all.

He didn't understand why Naruto's control issues extended to him, or why everything was turning into a problem. It didn't really matter, he just wondered how the hell he was supposed to fix it. If Naruto was this freaked out, then things had definitley reached a point that should cause worry to both of them.

"...I don't mean it. I don't. I just... I don't know how else to... I don't mean it" Naruto mumbled, hididng her face in his chest and curling up a little.

That was a good sign. It meant she was calm. She was always tired after using the Kyuubi chakra now, and usually had a nap even for short busts of it, but she didn't often curl up. She only did that when she was truly calm. She used to do that every time she paid his room a visit. It was a rare thing now.

He didn't really understand why she was having so much of a problem with it all, but at least it was an attempt at an apology; he tigntened an arm on her waist, and ran the fingers of his other hand through the lower tips of her hair, watching fall through his fingers as Naruto fell asleep.

Moments later, he joined her; unfortunatley for him, the calm moment didn't last very long. After almost an hour of actualy peace in Naruto's company, the door creaked open.

* * *

_**Boooooooooo. It's been a while since I updated this - there are these evil things called exams and SAAS paperwork that I've been dealing with. The SAAS stuf is still in progress actually. Thank god for holidays. I've also been having some problems with my cosplay orders, but that's irrelevant.**_

_**Finally got a little bit of real DeiSaku in - I promise that it will not be an '**_**Instant Attraction**_**' scenario. Just bear with me, and it'll get there eventually :) Sasuke and Naruto on the other hand... Well, I guess the argument's end result was to show that even if Naruto still needs a few good bonks on the head, she does actually care about Sasuke.**_

_**She just pushes that minor detail to one side rather regularly.**_

_**It just ain't coming out right though. Not right at all. I apologize if this seems like filler - it isn't, but there won't be any venturing from Otogakure for a while yet. I do have a plan though - seriously. I know I don't for some of my other stories ***_**glances around for pointy knives nervously**_*** but I do have a plan! Honest to god!**_

_**Well, I hope you guys liked the chapter :) **_  
_**The Title is '**_**Shut Up**_**' by The Black Eyed Peas.**_

_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx**_


	25. Part II: If We Ever Meet Again

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY–FIVE  
- - IF WE EVER MEET AGAIN - -**

* * *

_**'I came here to tell you to follow the scars,  
before you are crushed by the world' – FLOW.**_

* * *

Sakura was wary as they entered the underground halls halls of Otogakure; for one thing, she hadn't expected Sora to team up with Orochimaru. For another, she hadn't expected him to use the Kyuubi chakra.

And she certainly hadn't expected that ANBU to be using _her_ family techniques! If Tsunade thought this was a test of her self control, she was barking up the right alley for once! It had taken all of her concentration not to stab him in the back right there and then when he'd tried to stop Sora.

Sakura sincerely hoped that Naruto's plans weren't going to take much longer, because she was already itching to make an example of the man. She didn't care if he wasn't Senju, or if he had been a test subject of Orochimaru. He was using _her_ family techniques to _Tsunade's_ end, and she was _not_ going to stand for that!

He even had the _gall_ to tell her she wouldn't be able to use it because she didn't have Senju DNA like he did with the first Hokage's! The only reason the Senju clan had the ability in the first place was because they'd _stolen_ it from her family!

That being said, she couldn't risk any false moves after disappearing and trying to taken on that Akatsuki by herself... Dear god, what a mess that had turned into! She didn't really understand how trying to kill a bloke could turn him on, but had damn near jumped her! She had damn near let him!

What was wrong with her? The only way it could have been worse would have been if it had been Sasuke's brother; not only was her cover blown, but he was an Akatsuki. He wanted to kill Naruto. And he stuck his tongue down her throat! Well, one of them. Then he'd been interrupted by his partner, he'd flicked a scroll at her with a _'lets have some ore fun next time Pinky'_ wink, and disappeared.

Kakashi and Yamato were already suspicious, lecturing her on her lack of teamwork. She'd wormed her way out of it, saying surprise was the key factor considering it was Itachi, so she'd had no choice but to beguile them too. It had worked, but that was just Konoha... If Naruto found out she'd _tongued_ an Akatsuki...

She shuddered at the thought, and continued her progression through the hallways; she already had a lock on Naruto's chakra, she just had to sneak way from Yamato. How she was going to do that when he was tracking her with that seed though... she could have spat it out, but it would have been noticed and then reported back to Tsunade. A clone would be noticed too.

She couldn't afford _not_ to swallow it; now she just had to find a way to ditch Yamato unnoticed. As they were running through the halls however, she began to wonder if Naruto and Sasuke were here at all. Sure, they had tracked them to the bridge, and then followed Orochimaru, but where the hell were they? She was sure Naruto would have detected her by no-

Sakura was cut off mid thought by an explosion that shook the earth they were running through, sending all three of them to their feet. Getting back up, Sakura darted ahead of her watchers, following the sound of the explosion and searching with her chakra, pushing it into the earth and searching for Naruto's.

It was one of the few techniques off of her family scroll that she could use, simply because it didn't involve merging two element. It just used her earth one. It was the base of the ones merged with water but... no matter how much she tried, she couldn't combine the two.

Thanks to all her attempts she did have a very broad range with this first stage of them however; all she did was leak her chakra into the ground through her feet, reconnecting to her own with each step and searching with it. That was a difficult task for most ninja, not having enough control of their own chakra to reconnect with it, never mind continue tracking with it.

She was a Haruno though; her chakra control was far beyond that of an average ninja, and she hadn't even perfected it yet. Thanks to that control, it took only a few minuets for her to locate Sasuke's chakra, but something was strange about the corridors. They just kept continuing... Realization dropping onto her face, Sakura stopped running and dispelled the illusion.

It didn't work... frowning she tried again. It still didn't work. Instead several dark red foxes swirled around her, crawling around the walls of the corridor, appearing murky in the dim light. Their eyes glowed a dangerous read, and they started surrounding her. Sakura realised what was happening long before Naruto's echoed around her.

"Stop that Sakura; if you dispel the illusion we won't be able to chat..."

* * *

"Geez, you could have waited for me to say hello before going nuts..."

Sasuke glared down at the idiot monk (who had woken him from his rare peaceful moment with Naruto) from the cliff he had created with his explosion; it was a pity the idiot hadn't been finished off, but no.

He stood below him, covered in the familiar cloak of the Kyuubi's chakra he often saw Naruto using; it was nothing like the one Naruto used though. He was barley controlling it, and he was only using one tail. Naruto had to hit three before she became even a little dubious of her surroundings.

Speaking of Naruto... Where the hell was she? He had barley been paying attention when he blew up the base (result of building frustrations and anger being unleashed), but he knew she had been awake... Was she looking for Sakura? It made the most sense – she needed to talk into her about something, and it was easier to catch her here than head to Konoha.

He had every faith that Naruto would get into the village, but getting out was a different matter with her chakra in the state it was right now. That wasn't his most pressing matter to be concerned with though; this pathetic look-a-like however...

He didn't think Naruto would appreciate it if he killed him before she could get the Kyuubi chakra from him, but he could certainly incapacitate him. An uncontrollable amount of the Kyuubi chakra was just as much of a hinderance as the normal one, but there was something wron with the whole set-up.

"Sora! Get a hold of yourself! You're not supposed to use that chakra without Yamato or Kakashi-sempai!"

Before Sasuke could try anything, a familiar face emerged from one of the hallways into the huge crater below him; Sasuke was mildly unimpressed with Sai's choice of clothing. It was one thing for him to have a bare chest – he used his cursed seal fairly often so the stupid shirt was practical, no matter how much he'd appreciate a zip. Sai, however, had no excuse for that stupid get-up.

"So you survived after all? How surprising..." Sasuke commented as his old team-mate argued with the fake Kyuubi- monk.

Sai froze, then his head snapped up towards the cliff he was standing on; his eyes widened for a moment, before narrowing and raising his hand to the short Tanto on his back warily. Moments later, Kakashi darted out into the sunlight, squinting his eyes as he stared up at him.

"So you're here too Kakashi; I'm guessing that means Sakura's somewhere around here...?" he asked; if Naruto was up to something with Sakura then she'd need the time to get it done.

"You assume correctly; you've been given one free pass back to Konoha Sasuke. Throw it away and the next team to come after you will be to drag you to the gallows" Kakashi intoned, his hand going to his kunai holster warily.

Sasuke ignored him, his eyes trialling over to the boy who had disturbed his rare calm moment with Naruto; he was sweating, and looked as if he was in a struggle to control the Kyuubi chakra. Kakashi seemed to have noticed as well, because he narrowed his eyes at the boy.

"Sora! Control yourself! You can't handle any more of that chakra" he snapped, apparently more out of worry than any real anger.

"I'm sorry Kakashi-sempai... it's hard to control being so close to the Kyuubi..." the replacement – apparently called Sora - muttered under his breath.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the terminology the boy used to address Naruto drifted up to his ears, but he kept his cool for the moment.

"...and I suppose that one is my replacement? At first I thought he was a real Jinchuriki but... he's really quite pathetic, isn't he?" he sneered, thoroughly insulted that Konoha though they could replace him with such a cheap imitation of Naruto.

He didn't find being replaced insulting, it was the clear lack of skills the fake had that insulted him. It wasn't just him being insulted either; Naruto had been equally disgusted on his first arrival too.

A rumble beneath his feet, one felt by his apparent pursuers, told him that whatever Naruto was up to had taken a turn; bad or good he couldn't be certain of just yet.

Either that or she was just pissed off.

* * *

"What going on outside this?" Sakura asked, feeling slightly uncomfortable as the dark, eerie foxes eyed her.

It had been easy to forget how strong Naruto was, but this illusion... it was a stark reminder. Each fox was one illusion, settled on top of another and all working at the same time. Independently moving and flowing with the others in progress; it was no where near as refined as Itachi's, and Sakura got the feeling it had taken some time to set up but...

The amount of chakra in it meant her own attempts to dispel it barley hit the first layer; if Naruto could have managed this in an actual fight she'd be suckered.

"What? Oh, I have you in a choke hold for the benefit of that brown-haired guy. He thinks you're knocked out... Sorry about the foxes; its the only way to talk about things with it being detected, plus I need to work on my chakra control at the moment..." Naruto replied.

Several of the foxes bounded towards her and began to merge together into the body of her best friend; her hair was longer, and she was taller than Sakura was now, she still seemed the same though. Naruto gave her a quick, almost obligatory hug, before turning her attention to the important matters she had mentioned before hand.

"What's the political situation in Konoha at the moment? Naruto asked, jumping to the point.

"Not brilliant, but not terrible; Kumo is still a touch and go subject for the villagers, but Tsunade and the Raikage have been exchanging messages for some sort of treaty – at first I thought it was going to end up a _'Don't bother me and I won't bother you'_ relationship, but..."

Sakura hesitated, looking to make sure Naruto was keeping up with her as she spilled the information out; it was like a well had burst. She been watching for so long, putting her memory to good use, but it had all been blocked up with no one to pass it on to...

"...Kumo was recently attacked by Akatsuki – they managed to fend the attack off unscathed, but they weren't happy about it since it was Itachi and a missing nin from Kirigakure that attacked them. The Raikage sent messages insisting Tsunade takes greater steps to deal with Konoha's missing ninjas, or he will, regardless of the international laws..."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as she talked, presumably acknowledging the hint to take care about what she did, but she showed no signs of irritation... yet.

"...That's put the negotiations back several steps; he's reluctant to have ties with a village that _'can't deal with their own turncoats'_, but Tsunade's already taking steps – she's going to give Sasuke one free pass back to Konoha, and that's it" Sakura finished, deciding it not necessary to mention the interaction with the other nations just yet.

Truthfully, there had been talk of a meeting of the five kages, but none were exactly eager to meet up; Akatsuki wasn't considered much of a threat just yet, and there were more concerning things to be worried about... Tsunade's meetings with Danzo being one of them.

"What about Uzushiogakure? There's bound to be more than what I found in the files right? I'll need everything you've got on Sasuke's clan too... especially if that ignoramus brother of his decides to mess things up for me..." Naruto asked, the last part an obvious mutter to herself.

Sakura sincerely hoped Naruto wasn't too prone to stabbing those bearing her bad news; she hadn't been able to find much other than what had been in the Hokage's desk itself on the extinct village. Not that she hadn't found anything at all, she'd just hadn't found as much as Naruto may be expecting.

As for Sasuke's clan... she'd found plenty on Sasuke's clan; it had boggled her mind, that Itachi could have pulled off the massacre of his entire family at all, but on village orders? However, she wondered how he had actually managed it; even for a genius of his calibre, a whole clan was beyond his abilities alone... he must have had help, but from who?

"I didn't find much, but... I have found something else... Konoha is working on a way to completely control the Kyuubi in time for the next search mission; Tsunade and that root guy Danzo have been... talking, and Kakashi has been joining them sometimes. With the addition of that... that _fake_ and his pet dog to the team, I'd reckon it's already being tested... They're really getting serious about catching you, so-"

"Fake? What fake?" Naruto asked, interrupting Sakura mid sentence, the beginnings of a brainwave crossing her face.  
"The brown-haired guy; Yamato. He's an ANBU that used to be an experiment of Orochimaru's; he was one of ten to have the first Hokage's DNA implanted him to revive _my_ family bloodline, and he was the only one who made it-"

Sakura stopped, the illusion around her suddenly peaking with what could only be called a feel of... malignancy. The black foxes, opened their mouth,s reveal snarling teeth, their red eyes seeming to glow more ferociously in their anger. Naruto's own eyes had turned to a matching shade.

"That...! That...! That..._Snake!_ That absolute bastard of a _snake!_ I'll wring his scaly white neck! That _meddling bastard...!_"

Naruto stopped her rage; taking several deep breaths before turning back to Sakura, with a much calmer if still irritated expression; she chewed a thumbnail for a few moments deep in thought, before flicking her still-red eyes back towards the pink haired girl.

"Alright, let's forget that talk for now; I want to talk to you about that bloodline of yours..."she stated,still thinking.

Sakura wondered just how much concentration it was taking her to fend off Kakashi and, maintain this illusion, and think of her long-term plans all at the same time. She didn't pay it much thought though; she was more interested in whatever Naruto had to say about her bloodline. She knew it wasn't going to be an easy job but hopefully Naruto had some headway she could work on too.

"...as far as I can work out, with a bit of help from snake-ass and bug-head, the three different seals should be countered with the antidote I've slipped into your med-pack, but I can't guarantee it however. There was a very specific blood seal locked into yours, and even though I countered it with the DNA samples you gave me, something's still missing from it..."

Sakura wasn't as disheartened as she could have been; realistically speaking, her bloodline had been sealed away for _five generations_; even isolating the corrupted cells that kept it locked was a huge undertaking in and of itself. She knew that from her own medical studies. The fact that Naruto had managed this much was already more than enough.

"...I suggest you keep a close watch on Tsunade, Sakura; I'll bet my own bloodline the last lock is an external one, a key of some sort. The closer you keep to her the more likely you are to find it. Try to find out what they're doing with that fake Jinchuriki too... Something bothers me about him, but I don't have enough information on him... do you have a summoning contract?"

Sakura nodded; technically, she had two. One was Tsunade's slug contract, and the other was her family contract with the Owls  
It had been incredibly difficult just to get her chakra stable enough to summon one of the smaller creatures (no doubt the poison bred into her, scrambling her control), but she had done it.

The small miniature grey owl had taken one look at her, then let out a shrill call; it had called on the majestic snowy white boss summon, an owl only slightly larger than Akamaru. It had been very angry at first, demanding why her family hadn't been summoning them for so many years, but after some explanations, it had been pacified.

Technically she hadn't signed the scroll just yet, she could only sign one at a time after all, and if she signed another summons contract, Katsuyu would tell Tsunade. The owls were very understanding though, and promised their aid, provided she signed the contract as soon as her cover would allow it.

"Good, if you find anything, I'm going to be in Lightning Country if all goes well... If not... Well, I'll probably still be in Lightning Country...Remember Sakura, look for anything you can – the key to your bloodline is probably right under your nose; you're going to need it if you plan on coming with us!" Naruto finished, almost sounding normal with her final words, eager even.

Sakura nodded, and then the form of Naruto dissipated back into those of the red eyed foxes that made up her illusion; the fact the the illusion remained was an indicator the Naruto expected her to fight her way out of it herself. Presuming she wasn't going be getting help from anyone else, Sakura stopped her own chakra as best she could, and noted that some of the foxes disappeared.

Not all of them though; Naruto had said she had her body in a choke hold back in the normal world, so if she was leaking chakra into her, that would maintain it even if she did disturb her chakra. That meant she would have to fight through the illusion itself... Thought in mind, pulling her Kusarigama from its holster above her med-pack, Sakura turned her attention to the growling foxes.

She didn't think destroying the foxes was the right move, but until she had a better idea of how the Illusion worked, it was her best bet. Once she figured out Naruto's _real_ test, it would be a simple matter to make sure she passed it, but she had to figure it out first.

Given how many steps Naruto liked to be ahead of everyone else, Sakura was certain it would take her some time to figure out.

* * *

Sasuke had grown rather irritated with his old teacher's attempts to persuade him back to Konoha, especially when the man actually tried assuring him _Naruto_ would get a _minimal_ punishment.

He had been rather surprised by how easily his Chidori Current had taken him by surprise; the only one who'd actually managed any resistance was Sai, but even he had been thrown off by his Chidori, leaving him free to sink his blade into Kakashi's gut. He still held quite a bit of resentment to the man for trying to interfere when he had been in Konoha, so he felt it somewhat justified.

Especially with his blatant lies; if Naruto went back to Konoha it would be for the gallows, for Konoha's use (which would probably still end in the gallows once she outlived it), dead, or to tear it from the ground herself. Konoha knew that full well, as did he. If Kakashi thought he was that stupid, then he was very undeserving of his rank.

Besides, she had helped kill the third Hokage, dealing the final blow herself; if that wasn't tantamount to a death sentence in Konoha, he didn't know what was. He took a smug delight in giving his sword a little twist as he ran his Chidori through the blade. There was another matter to attend to other than Kakashi however.

The fake Jinchuriki; it wasn't hard to break into his mind with the Sharingan, and it was even easier to encourage the small fragment of Kyuubi chakra within him. Whoever had sealed it in him was a very shoddy worker; he was nowhere near Naruto's level, but she'd been seeking to improve that ever since he'd arrived and her bloodline had settled down.

It was a terrible seal, and breaking through it was too easy; back out in the real world a second tail started growing in the orange-red shroud around the boy. Kakashi slumped to the ground when he pulled his sword out, and Sasuke turned his attention to Sai. He was rather surprised he hadn't been the one charged with disposing of him and Naruto. He had been a ROOT drone even as a Genin after all...

"And then there was one..." he said to himself, cracking the fingers in one hand in preparation for one of his more concentrated fire techniques; Sai had never been good with fire for some reason.

Before he could enact it however, one of the walls shattered, and a brown haired man stepped through the hold he had made; the hand-signs he weaved generated curving pillars of wood around him, presumably to trap him. Sasuke quickly replaced himself with a chunk of broken wall, jumping back up onto the top of the cliff.

The faint draw on his chakra behind him told him Naruto was behind him, and a glance from the corner of his eye had her drop her disguise. Feeling another tug on his chakra, and taking a glance at her paler than usual complexion, he slowly draped an arm over her shoulders, brushing the skin of his thumb up against her neck.

She didn't take much chakra compared to usual, but he had to wonder what she had done to use up so much...

Another set of wooden pillars appeared around the replacement, slamming into him and forcing the Kyuubi chakra back into him; the action narrowed his eyes considerably. Not only was that Sakura's bloodline being so easily displayed, he was subduing the Kyuubi chakra...

There was no doubt in his mind now; Konoha had more plans for Naruto than simply the gallows. Those two were probably an experiment into methods of controlling the Kyuubi chakra, making sure it was perfect before they went after Naruto. Where had the brunette gotten Sakura's bloodline from though?

Once the man had finished subduing the Kyuubi chakra, he turned to stare up at them looking unsurprisingly exhausted, and rather angry.

"Where is she?" he demanded, his question directed to Naruto.

"I'm not sure; those hallways are ever so complicated, and I put a very good illusion on her even if I say so myself. Unless she breaks out of it before my clone drains her chakra, I can't guarantee her safety..." Naruto replied in a mocking little voice, one of her more malicious grins coming onto her face.

He took that to mean something good had happened; if he was catching the conversation correctly she was talking about Sakura. She must have given her some useful information. Or maybe she was just reflecting her very heavily buried glee of seeing her best friend again. If he had to bet on it though, he'd go with good information.

Just as the man was about to ask another question, Sakura darted through the hole in the wall he had created, looking rather battered, but still breathing and alert. Her eyes landed on Kakashi first, immediately heading for the wound his sword had made earlier.

"Sakura! You made it to the reunion after all! We were just talking about you!" Naruto chirped in an almost chatty tone of voice.

The pink haired girl froze, her hands still glowing with green healing chakra over Kakashi's abdomen as her head turned up towards the two of them. Sai watched her with... something resembling expression on his face as her eyes fixed on Naruto for a moment, before meeting his own narrow gaze.

Her eyes widened a fraction, and her progress with healing Kakashi stopped.  
"S-Sasuke?"

* * *

_**Finally, some movement; Sasuke gets to show off a little even if it is very canon, Naruto gets to show off, and so does Sakura. I also found another summons for her. I have a different set of them in mind, obviously. So far Owls for Sakura, Salamanders for Naruto, and what will Sasuke end up with? I'll let you guess, but it won't be Snakes or Hawks...**_

_**I don't think. Hmm... *checks future plot scribbles and ponders*  
Title is **_**'If We Ever Meet Again'****_ by Timbaland Ft Katy Perry. _**

_**Hope you liked the chapter :)  
Nat.  
xxx**_


	26. Part II: Kickstart The Drama

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY–SIX  
- - KICKSTART THE DRAMA - -**

* * *

_**'T****here is no living with thee, nor without thee' – **Marcus Valerius Martial._

* * *

Sakura sighed as she closed the door of her room behind her; she was glad she had the excuse of being the only girl on the team to get her own room. Not letting out her wide mixture of emotions would have been especially difficult today.

On the one hand she was ecstatic; she had finally caught a glimpse of her team-mates after three years of separation. Her real team-mates, the ones she was supposed to have. She been able to talk to her best friend again, even if it had all been about business. She had seen Naruto...

That being said, the reunion left little to her imagination, especially on breaking out of that illusion; it was a very effective one as far as illusions and mind tricks went. There was more than one layer to the foxes that made it up, and they were layered. Every time she tried to dispel them, it just strengthened them too.

In the end, it was only her own understanding of Naruto that had let her get out of it; it was a test. A test to see just how serious she was. Most ninja wouldn't have done what she did, and stabbed a kunai through her own chest, but she knew Naruto. More importantly, she knew what Naruto wanted from her...

It was still unsettling despite her own dedication though; Naruto wasn't being crazy in having doubts about her resolve. Hatred was a new emotion for Sakura; she'd only been introduced to it after the Chunin exams. Naruto and Sasuke had both been exposed to it from a young age. She still wasn't completely at ease with it, but it wouldn't stop gnawing at her either

Sasuke; he was someone she hadn't really had to fake her acting around; she'd honestly thought that by now some of her feelings for him had dwindled. Hearing his voice just once had been enough to prove otherwise. She could tell from the traces of chakra Naruto had been pulling from him that something else was at work but...

But seeing the casual, almost normal arm draped on Naruto's shoulders had stung horrendously. Apparently she still had a ways to go before she was over Sasuke.

Shaking the thoughts from her head, Sakura began pulling off her clothes and replaced them with the yukata provided by the small hot-spring hotel. She had more important things to be worrying about than love right now; one of them being her bloodline.

Naruto said it was locked up with one last seal, and that the key to it would probably be an external one; she didn't have the first notion of where to start looking for it. Senju DNA had already been ruled out, otherwise she could have easily filched a hair from Tsunade's head.

No, external was not DNA in this case; it was probably something small though. Naruto was probably right about it being right under her nose too. That was always the best way to hide something; people just didn't like admitting it. That was why she was so successful in keeping from being found out.

By being awkward enough to let some people, most of them low Chunin or a few select villagers, suspect her, the ones who counted defend her to the best of their ability. She hadn't given _those_ people any reason to fault her, so it went over very well. It certainly helped that two who did not believe her were on the council.

It guaranteed that Tsunade wouldn't listen to them, so taken in by her own distaste for them. Sakura was even planning to 'accidentally' let Tsunade find her looking over a family scroll, and play the nervous-breakdown act in a few months, if it was necessary. Just to show how loyal she was when she told Tsunade she wasn't angry with her.

Well, that wasn't certain yet. It was only for a last resort tactic too; she would be placed a t a very distinct disadvantage if she did try that. The best thing to do for now would be to get as close to Tsunade as she possibly could, and watch her like a mantis on a flower.

Tsunade was going to let something slip, sooner or later. Or someone around her would. That would be the key to finding out what she needed to use her bloodline, and when she found that tiny mistake...

Sakura was surprised to hear her knuckles cracking when she flexed the fingers of one hand in... in anticipation, but it was somehow a good feeling. The moment she found what she needed to get control of her bloodline back, all her chakra control practice was going to pay off.

She could activate a tiny amount of her third element thanks to her chakra control; she had done everything she could to improve it. When the time came... she was certain that mixing her wood and water elements together would be child's play compared to that.

Tying the belt of her yukata, Sakura glanced out of the window to the forest surrounding the hotel and frowned, recognising the territory. It hadn't been far from here that she ran into that Akatsuki member...

Sakura felt an instinctual heat staining her cheeks as she recalled the end of their fight, but little else; Akatsuki was another problem she had to worry about, apparently. She'd been so irritated by the blonde that she'd let slip a little of her true intentions.

She didn't think he knew she was working on Naruto's behalf – he would have tried harder to kill her if that was the case, or catch her for informative purposes. She got the feeling she hadn't seen the last of him, but irritating thorn or not, she'd just have to adapt as best she could.

It was good to keep an eye on Akatsuki anyway; they were bound to go after Naruto sooner or later, and any information she could gleam from that blonde would be worth it. If she ever got the opportunity again, she wasn't above using female wiles to get that information.

It was in Naruto's best interests after all, and she while she had her doubts, she certainly wasn't going to let Akatsuki kill her when she could help keep that from happening. It wouldn't be easy - he'd already pulled the wool over her eyes once after all – but she wasn't going to let an opportunity like that escape her again.

The more information on Akatsuki, on Tsunade, the better it was for her.

* * *

"Sasuke, are you busy?"

Sasuke looked up in slight surprise; Naruko hadn't spoken to him so directly since Sakura's team had arrived at the old base. They were in a new one now, and she had been cooped up in the labs for the past few days. That usually meant she was avoiding him. Oh, she worked on whatever she needed to in there, but he'd be daft not to notice the link between their spats and the labs.

"No" he replied.

He'd just been meditating; he was hoping that a larger capacity for chakra would work in his benefit somehow. He was certain this lack of chakra thing was affecting her thought process in some way. Even when mad at him, she was always easier to deal with after a dose of it. It was harder for her to concentrate without sometimes.

Something strange was going on with her lately – she spent a lot of time with Karin. Not really unusual, but more than she normally did. She was planning something, and he got the impression he was going to find out what that was very soon.

"I want you help me complete a technique I've been working on."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes in surprised and confirmation; Naruko hadn't asked him to help her train much. She only did that when there was a technique she wanted to perfect that she'd rather Orochimaru not know the finer details of. She usually went to Karin to help her with that. She was that serious about keeping him oblivious.

Instead of calling her out however, he followed her to the training room; he wasn't passing up an opportunity like this, especially not at a time like this. It was a chance to gain a bit of real trust, and get some insight into what she was planning. There was a specific use for all of her techniques, especially the more secret ones, so if he could figure that out...

"What do you want me to do?" he asked.

The words sounded uncomfortable on his tongue, as if part of his mind was ignoring his own opinion, but he knew it was always going to be like that. He'd seen her dead once, and it had almost killed him. Itachi he could survive; if there was one thing he learned her it was that like Orochimaru, no one survived Naruto, whether they were alive or dead.

He just had to get the balance right. He had an idea building in his mind, but he wasn't certain it was going to go without repercussions later. It would get the message across to Naruto though, and that he desperately needed to do.

"I want you to use your Sharingan and watch my chakra; I want finish my mother's chakra manifestation techniques."

Sasuke nearly choked; what one earth was she thinking? She'd never told him about those techniques herself, but he'd scoured Orochimaru's library and read up on them in his records on all the old Uzumakis. Naruto's chakra reserves weren't at all close to handling those techniques! Those techniques were all about condensing chakra so much that it could maintain a physical shape!

Technically, it was much easier than a normal technique since no specific natures or forms were applied to it, and Naruto didn't even need Sakura's chakra control to manage it. Her mother had the ability instinctively, so she had a biological tendency for it the same way she did with seals, but still!

He knew she had more than a few screws loose, but surely she wasn't_ that _disconnected from reality? Had she forgotten that her bloodline was more than a mere thorn in her side? Probably – her bloodline awakening early was a result of the same nonchalance and bad timing where he was concerned.

"Are you sure?" he asked, his blank face a contrast to the real shock behind it.  
"How sweet; are you worried about me Sasuke?" she goaded – not teased, goaded.

That was becoming more and more common, specifically after she came to his room and he could still sense traces of Kabuto's chakra on her lips. She still paid him visits, but he couldn't deny the doubts that they could be more from necessity than anything else. It was the flaw with his idea – if it didn't go the way he wanted it to, he'd drive Naruto away for good.

"More like I'm worried about how much of my chakra you'll be leeching from me. You're not the only one who needs it you know" he snorted, not willing to be drawn into her weak trap.

"I'm not going to use much. I just want to get the complete version right now. I'll handle the rest of it later" she replied bluntly, all back to business knowing he wasn't going to be tricked with something so menial.

He didn't like the sound of the word _'later'_ at all, but he nodded all the same, pushing a small fraction of his chakra into his eyes. Naruto immediately started following the instructions of the scroll laid out on the floor in front of her, and he watched as particles of her purplish-blue chakra bean to gather at her fingertips.

An insignificant amount, one only he would be able to notice but that was the point he supposed, to help her get it to the point where she could see it. Once she had done that, she would have the basics covered.

Sasuke was certain once she had completed the basics, then that would be it. The moment she mastered the basics of her mothers favourite technique, she would leave Otogakure.

* * *

Naruto collapsed to her knees, her breath heavy, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"You were reckless" Sasuke informed her, walking over and kneeling down beside her.

Naruto flopped against him, her forehead reading on his collarbone; the sudden drag on his chakra was testament to just how much she had used up, and Sasuke's eyes narrowed. She knew this was going to happen; why did she need to learn her mother's techniques right now? This wasn't the time for her to be loosing her chakra so quickly.

She should try practising what she preached on occasion, but Sasuke didn't put the chances of that happening very highly. Especially lately; when he had time to, usually before falling asleep, he remembered that conversation in the old base. The way she had been reacting before that fake Jinchuriki interrupted them...

Something other than her Orochimaru was spurring her right now, he was certain of it.

After a few moments (long ones) of drawing on his chakra, Naruto stood up, heading for the door. He recognised the expression on her face, but despite the rapidly building desire to punch Kabuto, he managed to keep it form showing on his face. This was the perfect time to start.

"Where are you going?" he asked, standing and grasping hold of her wrist before she could move away completely.  
"The labs" she replied; sure enough, the goading tone he had expected was in her reply.

He had to be very careful with this; if he didn't show her the emotions and amount of compliance she wanted see exactly, it wouldn't work. As long as Naruto thought she was in control, then she was happy. He figured that as long as she thought he was doing what she wanted, she would be more willing to share.

"Say what you mean or don't bother; if you want me to listen to you then say it, don't go getting chakra from that boot-licker" he murmured, the snap in his tone rather than the vehemence of his wording.

Naruto turned around, a barley hidden smirk on her face; that was it? That was all it had taken to fool her? No, she was still being cautious. She wanted him to make the decision on his own, that was why she wasn't saying anything. She wanted him to fall to his own insecurities, his own problems. Specifically, his jealousy.

It was there, there was no denying it, but he wasn't going to let that control him. At least, not until he got the chance he was waiting for. For now however, that was the best way to go. all he had to do to hoodwink Naruto was give her what she wanted, and she wouldn't be able to call him out on it if it was genuine.

"I'm sick of it" he muttered, dropping his hand from her wrist and walking past her.

He counted his own footsteps – five of them – before he felt Naruto's hand on his shoulder. He didn't turn his head as she slid her arms around his neck . Even if he was being genuine, his own pride wouldn't have let him do that. Even Naruto would grant that small allowance.

"Then, are you going to let me have some more of yours?" Naruto murmured, her skin brushing over his collarbone where the main access point to his stores was.

The familiar draw was different this time, it was a little more controlled – something about it struck him as suspicious but there wasn't much he could do about it. Besides... he'd missed her. There was something different in the way she was asking for it compared to the last couple of months. A side of her that only he got to see, but one he hadn't seen at all for too long.

Her voice was softer, relaxed even, and that had not been the case recently; it had been rough, harsh, demanding. He saw those aspects of her all the time, but the tiny, almost non-existent calmer aspect of her personality was only visible for him. And he hadn't seen it, for what felt like such a long time...

Naruto slowly moved in front of him, her arms moving as she did, one around his neck, another rising for her fingers to slide over his cheek. The animosity was not completely gone form her eyes, but the frustration that had been present because he kept ignoring her control complex... it was completely gone. For once, he'd been the one to fool her.

"You get it now, don't you?" Naruto asked.

The low calm tone in her voice told him she was internally answering her own question. It took all his concentration not to correct her, to put up a fight the way he was used to, but he'd tried that before and it hadn't worked. If he was was going to go against her, it to be at her own game. She didn't expect it from him after all. He wondered why he hadn't considered it before.

In response to her question her pressed his lips against her own, slowly but not carefully either. The sudden clawing draw on his chakra didn't surprise him – she had used too much training - but he stumbled for a moment all the same. He pushed his tongue between her lips, keeping the movements of his hands to her neck and back slow.

In truth there was something else he had been missing for the past couple of months too, but if he tried to jump on her she'd realise he wasn't being quite as compliant as she thought. Naruto pressed into the hold, drawing more and more chakra from him, though he didn't think that was what was causing the breathlessness.

Sensing he was safe to be more impatient, he put some strength into the grip on her neck, moving his lips over her jawbone and onto her throat. A small groan from Naruto told him he'd pulled it off. Her dominant streak wouldn't let her make a noise like that unless she was very sure of where the control was. Or she just couldn't keep control of herself, but it was usually the former.

The tug on his shirt, and the slow pulling away reminded him that this wasn't the place, and he stopped. Leaving his head on her shoulder for a moment, he stepped away from her his face full of composure. Holding the door open for her, he followed her out into the halls.

He couldn't help but feel smug watching the bolder, more certain steps she too along the floor; she was so obsessed with being in control of him that she couldn't tell when he was faking it. If this was the feeling Naruto got when she had been dragging him around like an Inuzuka three years previously... then he couldn't blame her at all.

The thought of pulling the rug from under her feet shouldn't have appealed to him, but seeing her in his position was an opportunity he was not going to pass up.

* * *

"I see..." Tsunade frowned, leaning back in her chair.

Beside her, Danzo stood staring out of the window, a contemplative expression on his battered face. She hadn't intended to take his advice on board at first, but Naruto posed too big of a threat to stick with Sarutobi's teachings. He didn't get his way, but she listened to his options more than she may have if the situation had been different.

"I don't think Sakura is anything to worry about, she was too shocked seeing Sasuke again to my eyes. She was awfully edgy around me on the way home though – Naruto may have told her something during their fight. As I said, she disappeared with the Hiraishin and took Sakura along with her" Yamato finished.

Tsunade frowned again; that wasn't really a hard thing to imagine. Jiraiya already suspected Naruto of raiding the files in the Hokage's office when she first disappeared. She could have easily done so again without discovery during the invasion. She already knew about her own family, and Tsunade had her suspicions about Sasuke too.

If Sakura had been told exactly what had happened to her own family... Tsunade shook her head; she was certain that was not the case. Danzou, not so much, but that old buzzard was suspicious of even his own drones. Casting the matter of her apprentice aside for the moment, Tsunade turned back to the ANBU captain.

"How did things go with Sora?" she asked.

"I was able to restrain him with the help of your grandfather's necklace, but I don't believe it was as effective as it could be. Sora has no link to the Senju clan, so it wasn't as easy to amplify my wood techniques with it, but I succeeded even when he lost himself to three tails of chakra" Yamato replied.

"The Kyuubi Jinchuriki is an Uzumaki; she has a shared ancestry with the Senju clan, so I don't believe that the same problem will occur with her, however... I don't think an external force is the best way to go about controlling the Kyuubi chakra. We tried that before, and it just didn't work... is there a way we could get some of that crystal into her bloodstream?" Danzo asked, his question directed to Tsunade.

Tsunade glanced at the crystal in her hand; it had a variety of abilities, but she'd never tried to introduce it directly into someone's bloodstream before. It wasn't impossible though. The human body already held a small amount of iron in the blood, and the crystal was a natural one. One of the few remaining from the time when it the bloodline that created it had not been in Senju hands...

"I think I could manage that in time for the next search mission; you won't object to my having Sakura assist me of course?"

Instead of the argument she expected, Danzo shook his head.  
"I do not; I think that, in combination with a test of my own, this may just put her true loyalties under the light once and for all" he replied.

Tsunade wasn't certain she liked the test she mentioned, but she didn't object to it either.

* * *

_**A few key moments this chapter. Sasuke's finally snapped, a little (sort of) and Konoha is making their move. As for Naruto, things will finally get out of Otogakure in the next couple of chapters and her plans will really start to move... To which I can only say Thank God. I was sick of writing Otogakure. I must say however, I'm only two chapters ahead at the moment, so updates may slow down a little now that the holidays are giving me some more time. Not much, just a little. My own plot is confusing me order-wise at the moment... -_-;**_

_**Hope you enjoyed the chapter - I liked writing this chapter. I put quite a bit in for Sakura too. I really hope the DeiSaku comes across properly... I've never really written a Sakura/Akatsuki pairing before, and there a certain tempo that I want... I don't think I've quite achieved it, but hopefully it isn't coming across as too cliche... Or at least, completely instantaneous...? Meh, a girl can only try.**_

_**The title is '**_**Kickstart**_**' by JLS (don't ask. Please. I own two songs, that's it. Honest to god - I love my 90's Boybands thank you very much).**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**xxx **_


	27. Part II: Poker Face Part II

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY–SEVEN  
- - POKER FACE; PART II - -**

* * *

_**'Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall' - Joseph Addison. **_

* * *

Waking up, Naruto had an anxious feeling in the pit of her stomach.

She had always found that feeling like this, especially upon waking, was usually a thing to be observed. She had a good intuition even without the Kyuubi, and she couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. She just didn't know who for, or why.

Glancing at Sasuke, she couldn't help but wonder if things were going the way she wanted them to after all. Then she shook the thought from her head – thinking like that would hold her back. Sasuke wasn't nearly as bull headed about things lately. He didn't press her for information as much.

Apparently her trick with Kabuto had worked, for now at any rate. She knew it wouldn't last forever. Sasuke was too much like her in stubbornness for it to work permanently, but it was a good quick-fix. Besides, it wouldn't matter soon. As soon as she mastered that technique of her mother's, as soon as she managed that...

Thoughts of her training in mind, she sat up , pushing the covers of Sasuke's bed off and started pulling on her clothes. The process was slower than usual, unexplained anxiety gnawing at her. Was Sasuke really listening to her now? He seemed to be but there had been instances, brief moments when she wondered...

Especially last night. He had been unusually confident, not that he wasn't confident all the time, but he was more... smug? He'd enjoyed their activities a little more noticeably than she was used to, and it bothered her. In fact, that sort of thing had increased since she first asked him to help her with her training.

She wasn't really complaining, but sex wasn't limited to simply when she needed chakra any more. At first she didn't think anything of it, but now... it was strange. Sasuke usually focussed on his training, but he actually came looking for her once. He'd never done that before...

Though she wasn't certain that had been his intent. He'd been looking to pass on a message from Orochimaru after his training originally... Maybe she was over thinking it. Orochimaru was using the experimental labs recently, not an advisable thing in his weakening condition, and it had been putting her on edge.

It meant he was preparing for the transfer; thankfully they would both be gone before he could attempt it. Glancing back at Sasuke – he was even worse at waking up than she was when she spent the night in his room – she slowly and carefully injected his cursed seal with some of the Kyuubi chakra.

It wasn't just a help in dealing with illusions; she didn't know when Orochimaru was going to attack, and Sasuke would need it when he did. He could attack before they were ready to leave; oddly, she found herself hoping he did. Just to be on the safe side... on the safe side of what, she wasn't certain though.

Jabbing Sasuke's shoulder with one finger, he muttered a few curses before reluctantly sitting up. He looked rather exhausted, not that she could blame him – he was giving her big chunks of chakra after practice every day lately. There was a drain on him during the night too, if only a slow one.

In fact... it might be good for him to get some extra chakra of his own today. He really looked worn-out, and that was the last thing he needed. She really didn't know where he got the energy from last night when he was like this now.

"Sasuke, I'm going to train by myself today. I think I'm past the stage of needing help from your Sharingan" she informed him; there was a spark of surprise, followed by an obvious sigh of relief, and he flopped back onto the mattress.

"Good...the heck is it for anyway?" he muttered, already half asleep.

Naruto froze – he hadn't asked her a question like that in a while. It lacked the usual barbs she was used to though. It didn't sound like he would hound the subject if she didn't answer him... he wasn't actually expecting an answer. It sound more of a mild, joking complaint really...

"My bloodline. If I can master the basic steps of my mother's techniques, then I think I might be able to control it. It's what she based her attacks off – her own control of it, especially when she was older so... if I can get the hang of it, it won't hold either of us back" she replied, a little tentatively.

Sasuke made a grunt of acknowledgement, and then returned to finding sleep again. Once certain he was asleep again Naruto stood up and left the room. Closing the door behind her, she couldn't help but still feel that something was off somewhere.

* * *

"How long are you going to pretend to sleep"

Sasuke sat up on one arm with irritation on his face, and glared at the redhead who had just entered his room. Karin had an extremely irritated face, but more from worried frustration than anything else.

"When did you get back? Orochimaru sent you to Kusa to do some scouting didn't he?" Sasuke asked, trying not to yawn.  
"A couple of days ago – I just got out of the Water lab" she replied; given how often Naruto disappeared into the labs for days on end, Sasuke didn't find her reply all that strange.

Never mind pretending though, he could do with some actual sleep. Naruto must have decided so too if she didn't bother waking him up properly, like she usually did. He couldn't believe it, but his ploy had actually worked. Naruto had actually revealed something without arguing about it. It was a small success, but it was the one he was looking for.

He had her fooled; now all he had to do was wait. He was fairly certain that Naruto would make her move within the next few days, if not tonight. He knew what she was expecting of him, and she wasn't going to get it.

"I know what your planning Sasuke; Naruto's too busy training to notice it, but it's not so easy to fool me. I can tell what your up to just by the feel of your chakra. You really think you've got everything worked out don't you?" Karin asked, leaning back against the door and crossing her arms.

Sasuke sat up a little straighter, and narrowed his eyes at her.

"And what if I do?" he asked.  
Karin shrugged, taking her glasses off and giving them a little clean.

"I just wanted to be certain is all; I'm not going to stop you – no way in hell am I getting mixed up in a lovers quarrel – but... consider going along with her just once more, okay?" she replied, her voice taking a careful tone with her last words.

"What would be the point of that? I'm not going to be left in the dark; if it comes to the point of being a blind dog or killing my brother, then it's an easy choice Karin. That's the point it's been getting to, and I won't let anything get in the way of my goals. Not even Naruto" he replied darkly – what was Karin trying to prove here?

"Calm down; I'm not jumping down your throat okay? Just... I don't think you really realise how much of an effect you have on her... You really don't see it Sasuke. You're the person closest to her, but you don't understand her at all. I think you already know that, but you're too stubborn to admit it..." Karin replied, biting her lip.

Sasuke lessened his glare in confusion; he didn't understand that either. If he had any effect on Naruto at all then she would tell him her plans. There wouldn't be this stupid ongoing argument between them. He knew she loved him – he wasn't insecure about that – but that was a different matter. This wasn't just about whether their emotions matched.

"I've watched you two train in the past and when you start a Chidori... Her chakra _always_ falters for a second. She doesn't show it even to you, and no one else would pick it up, but I can feel it. For a split second, she's afrai-"

"Karin!" he snapped; his tone was fast and sharp enough to startle the red-headed girl.

Sasuke pointedly looked away from Karin when she said that; being reminded that he'd almost killed Naruto was not something he had really learned to deal with. It was the reason he was stuck in this mess; his guilty conscience wanted to make it up to her, but his brain had other ideas.

He didn't want Karin implying what he was trying to ignore – that Naruto had never expected him to actually shove his hand through her chest with a Lightning technique. It may prove her right, but it was no good for his thought process.

"...I don't really know what happened, and I'm not going to ask, but I can make a few guesses, and that's my point... You have an effect on her, whether you see it or not. Just keep it in mind before you make any... final decisions okay?" Karin replied, taking a few steps across the room from the door and sitting down beside him.

She rolled up the sleeve of her shirt and extended it out to him pointedly.

"I wondered what you really came here for; Naruto told you to keep an eye on me didn't she?" Sasuke asked irritably.

Karin frowned, obviously keeping something to herself, but nodded all the same. Dismissing her frown, Sasuke narrowed his own eyebrows at Naruto's implied obsession, before taking Karin's arm and biting down on her skin.

* * *

Sakura entered the Hokage's office her face the epitome of calm, but her mind was racing; she had been working at the hospital that afternoon when Shizune had approached her and told her they were going to the labs on work for Tsunade.

When she found out what they were going to be working on, she couldn't help a small internal celebration; this was what she had been waiting for.

This was going to be of prime interest to Naruto when she got a chance to send a summon. Why wouldn't it be? It was confirmation that Konoha was making plans to re-capture her and either brainwash her into ROOT again, or extract the Kyuubi from her and give her a death sentence.

It was also of personal interest to Sakura; she had strong reason to believe that the powdery compound Shizune had given her to mix up as a drug was the key to her own. She had seen her own blood cells and was familiar with the microscopic details of her chakra enough to notice similarities between the them and the tiny amount of powder she had been given to work with.

She had been working with Shizune all day, so she hadn't had the chance to do some personal experimenting though. There wasn't much of it either; Shizune would notice if some went missing, so she was reluctant to try filching some just yet. She was certain that it was the external key to her bloodline though.

But as for what it was, that was a different matter, never mind getting he hands on some of it to conduct the tests she wanted to. She had been trying to decipher the exact properties of the compound when one of the ANBU arrived and told her that the Hokage wanted to see her.

Something about the sudden call set her nerves on edge – if Tsunade wanted to talk to her she usually just had Shizune ask around or sent one of her lackeys looking for her. Sending an actual ANBU after her was... suspicious. Still, she compliantly followed the masked ninja to Tsunade's office.

Which was where she was now; she wasn't the only one in the office though. There were two ANBU behind the desk, and standing beside Tunade's chair was the root war hawk. It wasn't strange to see Danzo in the office, but Sakura didn't like being around him much. He was far to suspicious of everything for her comfort.

"You wanted to see me Shishou?" Sakura asked, not trying to feign her genuine confusion.

Tsunade glanced of the top of her interlinked fingers, a worried crease in her brow and hazel eyes sharp. Sakura felt her gut feeling of trouble increase with the look; something was going on, and if she didn't play her part perfectly... then those ANBU would probably arrest her within seconds.

"Yes Sakura; there's a matter of village security that has arisen; one concerning you..." Tsunade ventured.

* * *

Glancing through the hallways carefully, Naruto finished attaching her travel-pouch and med-kit to her back, and closed the door to her room behind her for the last time.

She didn't know if it was the best time to be leaving but, she couldn't afford to wait any longer. There were people she had to see, things to sort out before heading for Konoha that she simply couldn't do if she was stuck in Otogakure. Her chakra was still a problem, but hopefully her mother's technique had given her some slight inroads with controlling it.

It would be a problem, but not one she wouldn't be able to handle. She ignored one of the wandering lackeys in the hallway, instead stopping outside Karin's door. The girl had sensed her coming, and was already waiting outside, dressed in the same dark cloak as Naruto was.

There was an anxious frown on her face, but Naruto mistook its source for the same anxieties that worried her.

"Naruto, are you really sure now is the right time to do this?" Karin asked, her fingers clenching the sleeve of her travel cloak uncertainly.

"There'll be a few problems but nothing we can't manage between us, especially once we go back for Sakura – having her on board will lessen the chakra problems I'm giving you and Sasuke. Especially if my mother's technique works outside of practice..." Naruto replied, her certainty coming back as she spoke.

Her words did not do the same thing for Karin; she even flinched a little at one point, but Naruto paid no heed to it. They were several valid concerns to have about leaving at this time, she was having them herself even f she didn't show it. For Karin to have some anxieties wasn't unusual.

"Why would Sakura help? You didn't have sex with her too did you?" Karin asked, sounding a little confused as the started heading through the dark passageways towards Sasuke's room.

"Sakura is a Haruno – she's the real Senju. Technically, I'm related to the Senju clan, but everything that made their bloodline so revered was stolen from her clan. Their chakra is her chakra – I think I'll be able to absorb her chakra better than anyone else I'm not related to... Well, except for Gaara maybe – remind me to pay him a visit once we finish up in Wave and Lightning" Naruto replied.

"That's the reason you're so set on having her rejoin? Is it worth it? You know she's got her doubts – I've never met her, but from what you told me, she doesn't sound very certain of where her loyalties lie..." Karin replied, sounding less anxious and more practical.

"You have a point, but Konoha will make certain of who she stands with themselves. It's the one thing I can count on that place to do well. As for her use, her bloodline is invaluable to me. I can't have her loyal to Konoha when it's capable of suppressing the Kyuubi. It'll be useful in other scenario's too..." Naruto replied.

Truth be told, that was one of the few flaws in her plan; counting on Konoha to do anything was not something she was comfortable with. She was certain they would turn Sakura completely against them in the end, but would it be in time for when it would count the most? It was very dubious.

Rounding the corner Naruto sensed Sasuke's familiar chakra heading towards them, and the corner of her lips began to curl as she appeared from the shadows of the corridor.

It wasn't the Sasuke she had been expecting though.

It was his footsteps that first caught her attention; they maintained a slow steady pace that they shouldn't have been using. Then his clothing – dim though the corridors were she could tell he was wearing the short, casual belted yukata and trousers that doubled as sleepwear.

She kept walking towards him, feeling her heart palpitating horrendously as Sasuke continued his slow footsteps towards them. Then his face came into view, and she realised who the bad feeling she'd had on waking was directed at. As he drew close enough to pick out the details, she realised she had made a very stupid mistake.

Sasuke's face was blank, utterly blank. Blank and dismissing as he walked straight past her, and headed further down the corridor behind her.

* * *

Nyeh heh heh. Cliffie-no-jutsu! Things are finally getting out of Otogakure (holds private celebration with cadburys). I didn't think it would take so long, but I needed to catch you up on the relationship development... or lack of it... or is it still development if it all goes to pot? I dunno, but either way things will start hotting up now!

That means I'm probably going to need some fight scenes...*bangs head on keyboard and cries* Especially for Naruto... gaargh. I hate fight scenes... especially smart ones...

The title is _'Poker Face'_ once again, but this time Sasuke's got the poker face, so the inspiring version was by Blowsight. Very good cover for those interested. Hope you all liked this chapter, because it took weeks to get it out, and I still feel iffy about it...

I wasn't going to update, because I've only got one of the next chapters written up but... It's been a while, and this is a better place for me to start catching up with my chapters for this story. Please keep with me okay? ^^

TTFN :)  
Nat  
xxx


	28. Part II: Love The Way You Lie Part II

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY–EIGHT  
- - LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE ~ PART II - -**

* * *

_**'We always deceive ourselves twice about the people we love - first to their advantage,  
then to their disadvantage' – Albert Camus.**_

* * *

_Peering around the corner of Ichiraku's at the crowds of people in the street, Sasuke gulped nervously._

_He wasn't certain that this was the best idea he'd ever had, but he didn't really understand what Naruto meant when she said the villagers didn't like her. They had just learned the transformation technique in the academy, and after practising, he was pretty certain he had mastered it._

_Forming the hand signs and muttering the chakra release, he waited for the large poof of smoke to disappear before stepping out around the corner of Ichiraku's in the guise of his blond friend. He'd waited until Naruto had gone home before starting – she'd be mad if she found out what he was doing . He wanted to understand what she meant about the villagers not liking her though. _

_He didn't think it could be as bad as her reluctance to talk about it implied. That was just stupid. A whole village couldn't hate when one girl. Still, he was going to investigate properly, hence why he was transformed into the appearance of Naruto. He didn't really know how to mimic Naruto though, so he was a little anxious._

_He hadn't known her very long, and she was a girl. She was different from him. Iruka had told them that they should avoid transforming into the opposite gender since it wouldn't look as realistic, and they could be discovered on a real mission (to the boys at least – the girls got a whole extra class on it with that lady with the glasses) but he had no other choice._

_After checking to make sure he had her appearance right in the back-window of the ramen shop (it looked okay – her hair felt weird but it was longer than his, and a couple of _other_ changes felt _really_ weird, but that was about it), he headed out into the street. _

_He hoped none of the real ninja payed attention; he wasn't supposed to use techniques outside of the academy and an official training ground like the one in the Uchiha compound. It was with tightly wound nerves that Sasuke walked through the streets, not daring to meet the eyes of the figures with headbands._

_If any of them did notice however, they didn't pay attention. After ten minuets of so without being discovered, he relaxed, and headed for the parts of the village more given to housing. It was mostly ninja in the village centre anyway, even if they lived on the edges of the village with the civilians. _

_As the numbers of civilians in the crowd increased, Sasuke felt an itch feeling. He felt like he was being watched. Being watched a lot. Glancing up at the faces of the villagers heading towards him, he noticed their eyes, and knew exactly where he had seen them before. Or eyes like them._

_It wasn't quite the same, but they reminded him of _that_ night. Of _his_ eyes. He could see quite clearly that the villagers didn't like Naruto at all. In fact, the fierce quality in them told him it was better to say they _really_ hated her. When they noticed him looking, they quickly averted their eyes, but as he passed different people, the scenario repeated itself._

_It felt awful, even if he knew they weren't glaring at him. He'd thought Naruto was lying, overreacting to a reaction from one of her pranks, but she really wasn't lying. The villagers really _hated_ her. He noticed it was civilians more than ninjas, but plenty of the ninjas he passed glared at him too._

_The feeling was very unpleasant; he was already sick of it, and Naruto put up with it everyday? He didn't know how she could do it. Finally having enough of being glared at, he dispelled the transformation in the middle of the street, much to the horror of one of the villagers standing in front of him._

_He glared at the man on Naruto's behalf, before turning around and staring the journey towards his own home. Or he would have had Naruto not been staring at him with a slack jaw and wide eyes. Mind racing very fast, Sasuke did the only thing he could think of when he saw Naruto's face turning an angry red._

_He ran after her when she darted away from him._

_He ended up chasing her back to the lake, and was loosing his breath when he finally had enough. He'd never match her in a stamina race, but he was stronger than she was – he was a boy after all, that was just obvious - and he lunged on top of her, snarling his arms around her waist as unrelentingly as her protest allowed._

_It definitely wasn't his best lunge; it sent them down the slope towards the path, and the resulting momentum propelled them both over the bank and into the lake. Breaking the surface as he rose for air, Sasuke pulled himself onto the bank quickly, and hoisted his friend out of the water as soon as she tried to follow suit and run off again._

"_Let go!" she snapped, tying to jerk her arms out of his hold.  
"The stop running away from me and let me apologize!" he snapped in reply, giving her his most sincere glare._

_Naruto blinked, and faltered beneath it apprehensively. After a moment, the tenseness in the way she held herself dissipated, and he dropped his strength in his grip. His hands stayed on her wrists dropping to her sides as an awkward silence settled between them._

_It felt unpleasant – he didn't want silence from Naruto. It was all over the compound, he didn't want it from her. Naruto was one of few good things that existed in his life at the moment. Being friends with her, even if it wasn't an open friendship, made the silence bearable. Now she was being quiet, and it felt horrible._

"_Why? Why'd you pretend to be me? Who said you could?" she demanded, her tone angry even if her voice didn't rise above normal volumes – it was an indicator of just how angry she was._

_He knew she'd be mad, but still. Even if he didn't want her to be mad at him, he still wanted to try and understand her better. For all he told her about himself, she didn't like to talk about her own life much. Was it so bad that he was a little curious – or dare he say it worried – about her after she'd said the villagers weren't fond of her? She was his friend. Of course he would be!_

"_No-one said, I just did. I... I wanted to see what you meant when you said they didn't like you, I was...worried" he muttered, barley voicing the last word in hopes she wouldn't hear it. _

_She didn't hear it clearly, but apparently the tone was enough to covey the meaning he was trying to get across, because Naruto did something he had never seen her do before – she started crying. It surprised him, but not so much that he couldn't give her a hug. He didn't get them any more, no thanks to _him_, but his mother used to give them to him all the time when he was upset._

_Naruto didn't cry loudly or noisily, it was more like frustrated sniffling, and she did her very best to keep it as controlled as she could, her hands tightly gripping his t-shirt._

"_I-I don't get it! I don't, I don't I don't! I didn't do anything, but they always glare like that! I hate them! I hate them, I hate them, I _hate_ them!" she sniffled._

_Sasuke didn't really know what he was supposed to do – he'd never been the one to offer a hug before, and while he could say he now knew what Naruto's life was like now, he didn't really. He'd only been in her guise for a few hours. Naruto had been and likely would be glared at her whole life. There was a difference, and he didn't really know how to help that._

_He settled for slumping down on the grassy bank of the lake and just tightening the hug. It seemed like the best thing to do, and besides, he kind of liked it himself._

_He couldn't help but think it might be nice to get more of them in the future._

* * *

For a moment, Naruto was frozen to the spot, then she caught sight of Karin's hand reaching carefully for her shoulder and started walking again until she was outside the underground boundaries of Otogakure.

Then she stared running at a pace Karin was only just managing to keep up with. She was certain her cousin (for want of a better word) had a lot of questions, but Naruto was glad she wasn't asking. She didn't really have any answers for her at the moment, and if questioned, she didn't know what she would do in response.

Things hadn't taken a bad turn. Not technically. Not at all. She could accomplish what she needed without Sasuke's help for now. And yet, that bad feeling from the morning was twisting with some kind of monstrous glee inside her. She didn't need Sasuke's help for this, she really didn't, but as she and Karin left the walls of Otogakure, she couldn't help but put extra effort into her running.

Why did he do it? She was aware that she was a rather controlling person even at the best of times, but... But what? Why did she have this knot of... this knot of unpleasant emotion in her chest? So Sasuke had ignored her, he'd been doing that a lot lately. It shouldn't be so surprising. It wasn't like he was dead, or she couldn't go looking for him later...

As the last thought entered her mind, Naruto dug her nails – already turning pointed as she struggled to control that knotted feeling – in the palms of her hands. Would she be able to go looking for him later? It wasn't that she had _needed_ him to follow her right now, but she had... expected it.

Hell, even Karin and Kabuto were expecting it. She had altered her original plans to include Sasuke, and she could just as easily change them back, but... did she want to? It didn't feel right. It didn't feel right at all. Something was wrong with this whole mess. She just didn't see what it was!

So she hadn't told him anything! What did that matter? Sasuke knew why she kept secrets, why she kept things to herself! Orochimaru already knew more than he should, probably more than she had estimated, and it was just his style to make problems for her to amuse himself! Orochimaru knew she was a threat to him, and the more he knew about her, the more dangerous it was.

That was why she never said anything! Not because she didn't trust Sasuke's judgement – she did, more than anyone else's - like he seemed to think. Where would he get that idea anyway? He'd followed her here, completely blindly before! He'd trusted her then, why couldn't he do the same now?

It was the same damn thing, so why could he just trust her that way he did back then? Why hadn't he followed? Why hadn't he followed?

"Naruto, shouldn't we stop for a while? It's almost morning, and Orochimaru won't catch up with us here. You look like you need a break..." Karin asked from behind her.

Naruto flinched, skidding to a stop on one of the tree branches and jumping to the forest floor. She turned to glare at her red-haired companion as she. What was that supposed to mean? That Sasuke's apparent desertion was getting to her? Bullshit! She didn't need him to make her goals come to life. Not yet at any rate.

She could destroy Konoha with or without his help!

"You're tired right? I know were in a hurry, but you can't waste your chakra in running. We're far enough ahead of Otogakure to rest and walk the rest of the way to Wave Country... or did you want to go to Lightning Country first?" Karin asked calmly and pointedly.

Naruto relaxed a little in spite of herself – she was glad Karin wasn't going to bring up Sasuke, but still... Naruto knew she hadn't escaped the questions Karin wanted to ask. She wasn't certain if that was a good thing or not, but either way Karin was right about her chakra. Just because she'd got the knack of her mother's base chakra technique didn't mean she could be reckless.

She had enough of Sasuke's chakra in her system to last her for a few days; that would be enough for her to get to Wave Country unhindered provided she absorbed what she could from any ninjas they came across and from Karin. After that though... she'd have to take different measures.

It was the biggest problem she faced now. She wouldn't survive without Sasuke's chakra, but she wasn't the one who had done anything wrong, so why should she have to go looking for him? If Sasuke was at all concerned about that, it didn't really show. Or maybe he just knew she had a contingency plan?

No, he wouldn't know that – he probably hadn't considered the chakra deficiencies she'd face like that at all. If anything he probably expected her to turn around and... and what? What the heck did he want from her? Just what was he trying to gain by this? He didn't gain anything from it at all!

If he survived Orochimaru he was going after Itachi, no question of that, but Itachi was stronger than Orochimaru. He'd planned on organizing a team to help find him, but Karin was with her, and Sasuke hadn't really specialised in many tracking techniques. He hadn't _needed_ to.

She could track people pretty well herself thanks to the Kyuubi, and Karin was even better. The plan had been to leave as a group – surely he _understood_ that? Besides that, Sasuke didn't have a demon to regenerate his injuries. He wasn't a medic – that was her job. God, what the hell was he thinking?

It didn't matter! It was of no concern – she had a back-up plan that would probably work out. It wasn't the best of ideas, and it was so full of holes that made her uneasy to even think about, but it was a solution to her chakra problem. Until Sasuke regained his senses at least.

"Fine, I can smell a town a couple of leagues up ahead, so we'll stop there and get some rest before splitting up" Naruto replied, before jumping back up into the branches her cloak flapping form the movement.

"What? Split up? Are you insane? You won't last more than a month if we do that and you know it!" Karin retorted, horrified by the idea as Naruto had expected.

She couldn't really expect any different, but it wasn't like she wasn't up shit creek without Karin's company either. Besides, it was probably better to get the major work done by herself. It was more likely to get done, and there was less chance of people turning on her like her stupid Uchiha.

"That depends on who you ask, but I do have some good reasons behind it Karin – I have reasons for everything I do. You should know that by now" Naruto replied a little bitterly – Karin was right, she needed a decent night's sleep to get back her usual cool.

"And what would those reasons be exactly?" Karin asked, not at all convinced.

Naruto didn't blame her. It sounded crazy in her own head, never mind anyone else's. Hell, it probably wouldn't even work for that long. Even if she gave Sasuke payback by crossing that line, she'd still need his chakra too, so what was the point? She needed chakra though, and since Sasuke wasn't in the mood to give it, she'd just have to get it from her second-best option.

"Just one; I want you to track someone down for me. It should solve my chakra problems for a good while if you do" she explained.

Karin frowned in confusion, then realisation fell on her and her eyes widened.

"You can't be serious...!"  
"Dead serious Karin – as soon as I've stocked up on enough chakra to get to Wave Country, I want you to find Itachi" Naruto replied.

She pushed some chakra into her feet and quickly moved on ahead, signalling the matter wasn't up for any more discussion. She could see the lights of the town on the edge of the forest, and whether she liked it or not she was tired. Besides, there were bound to be a few ninjas there on or coming back from a mission.

It was a prime hunting ground, and she was thoroughly looking forward to a good one right now.

* * *

Sasuke had felt very sure of himself the following morning.

He hadn't expected Naruto come back quickly, but he figured she would have to adjust to the new way of things by herself. It didn't bother him. At least, he had thought that until he caught the smug smirk on Orochimaru's lips during his training. That had unnerved him, and started the doubts that getting some even ground wasn't really his best idea after all.

He didn't like admitting it, but he didn't understand Naruto at all. Not the way he really should. Their own separate need for revenge was common ground, as was stubbornness, but there was still a lot Sasuke did not know about his girlfriend, for want of a better word.

She had been back in his life for three years now, but much of that time had been apart. That was on top of her five year absence from Konoha. He didn't try to relate her to the child he's met by the lake any more, but he didn't really know her any better than he had then.

He knew her better than anyone else, but he knew nothing on what had altered her mind here in Otogakure. He felt that was half the problem. He kept conflicting with his own interpretation of her. Orochimaru's smug look only made that notion all the worse.

Sasuke stared at the seals on the paper in front of him, before pushing the book on seals to the side, and picking up one on lightning techniques instead. He had been in the library for a few hours when Kabuto entered, setting a heavy pile of medical books down opposite him.

Sasuke ignored the light conversation Kabuto was making until he heard Naruto's name in the conversation.

"...to be honest, I would have thought you would go on this mission with her Sasuke – I know she's been practising with her bloodline, but she really isn't in a position to be separated from you at the moment. Her last check up with me was rather alarming... if she isn't back within the week she'll be having problems, especially since she's not as accepting of Karin's chakra now..." he rambled, apparently absently.

Sasuke grunted, not rising to the bait Kabuto was placing in front of him with sick enthusiasm, but his blood was running in his veins like burning ice.

* * *

**_Gaagh, I'm sorry I haven't updated in ages!_**

_**This chapter took a while to get out, but I'm finally happy with it. As seen, Sasuke has realised how stupid he is (thanks to Kabuto of all people) and Naruto... Well, Naruto really isn't getting what his problem is at all. She needs a good whack to the head, but that won't be coming for a while... It will come though, be assured of that.**_

_**Flashback time this chapter – I realised I haven't had one since Part II started and that was seven chapters ago. There will be more in the future I promise – they're needed to understand Naruto relationship with Itachi (or lack of it) and her idiot head in general. This was mostly to show just how much her relationship with Sasuke has changed, but stayed the same at the same time.**_

_**If any of you recall, I mentioned in Sasuke's POV that he did this in passing. I've wanted to make a flashback for it for ages, but I couldn't fit it in naturally into the story without ruining the pace. Grr. Anger. Hate. Frustration. There will be a time skip of sorts soon - this really needs to be speeded along... ^^;**_

_**Chapter title was inspired by the Love The Way You Lie – Part II by Rihanna and Eminem, especially the first opening verse. I think I like that version better than the original – it's so sad :D There's been a splurge of videos with that section on YouTube lately too...**_

_**Hope you liked the chapter and the way this is going at the moment, even if it is a bit slow. **__**All the feedback you guys have given this story is invaluable. It really cheers me up sometimes too :D Blegh, sappy over – off to find some angsty manga to read. So yeah, thanks for all the input so far^^**_

_**Nat.  
xxx**_


	29. Part II: Wisemen

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER TWENTY–NINE  
- - WISEMEN - -**

* * *

_**'Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' – William Shakespeare.**_

* * *

Sakura slammed her fists into the dirt and let out a howl of anguished frustration.

Despite the initial fears that had swarmed her just hours ago in the Hokage's office, the security issues had not been surrounding her. No, they hadn't been surrounding her at all – not on the surface at least. No, the so called security issue was her father. Or it had been. For a so called village of _'tree-huggers'_ Konoha was certainly quick in dealing out its twisted version of justice.

They had killed him. They had found him guilty of supplying intelligence information to Amegakure, a village Konoha had not held friendly relations with for years, and executed him in one of the ANBU detention cells. Three days before she got home.

Despite her initial wariness during the Chunin exams, she hadn't let slip a single hint of where her alliances were. Sakura already knew her father hated Konoha, and she was certain that the higher-ups knew that too. She had known they would watch him, so she had even more reason to keep her activities a secret.

Her father didn't even _work_ in the intelligence department! He was just a regular Jonin. Strong, but not in the leagues of those who became teachers to groups of Genin. And now he was dead. For what? The only conclusion she could come to was that it had been to test her, create a crack for _them_ to exploit...

Sakura had never been as full of hate for her village in her life. The night Naruto and Sasuke left, she had liked to think she had made her choice, but actively betraying Konoha had still made her a little... uncomfortable. Part of her had still believed Konoha had _some_ redeeming qualities.

She didn't even get to say _goodbye_ to him! Bad enough they killed him when he was blameless, but they didn't even give her that? Slamming her fist into one of the trees surrounding the training ground, she watched it topple over with a less than satisfying crash. The punch had left her exhausted , such was the effort (and by association, the large amount of Chakra) she had pushed into it.

"Sakura!"

Jerking from herself from her thoughts, Sakura whirled to face Kiba – the dog he was sitting on whined and took a couple of steps back. Kiba bat his lip, presumably after some sort of warning from the dog. Hopping down from Akamaru's back, he took several slow, careful, steps towards her. Sakura's focus was not on Kiba though – it was on the blonde Akatsuki sitting in the trees some distance behind him.

How had he gotten into the village? Was Itachi with him? That might explain it if he was, Itachi had been an ANBU, so he would know how to get past the security seals. He might have told the clay-user (she didn't actually know what the man's name was), but how was he staying out of Kiba and Akamaru's sense of smell? She had only just recognised his chakra, and she knew that was because he wanted her to know he was there.

"Sakura... I heard... about your dad. Are you... Do you want to spar or something? It might help better... than the ground I mean..." he asked, haltingly.

She knew he was being wary because Akamaru had sensed the level of killer intent she was fighting to keep down. She had to get rid of him pretty quickly. Especially if she was going to find out what that damn blonde wanted. There was a chance he was here looking for information on Naruto, and she couldn't let him get it.

There wasn't much of it in Konoha, but that wasn't the point. The Akatsuki probably wouldn't need much to track her down properly. Sakura had heard from Tsunade that Naruto had been seen close to Lightning Country. If she could send him in the wrong direction it would be best, but right now she had to get rid of those idiot dogs!

"No... I might do something... I might do something stupid Kiba, so it's probably best not... I just want to be alone fore awhile" she replied, willing all her self control into her voice.

She knew why Kiba was here; Tsunade had sent him. Kiba wouldn't have come to her by himself. He was here to watch her; Tsunade apparently was no longer giving her the benefit of the doubt. She hadn't really expected it to last forever, but she was grateful that it had lasted this long. As long as she passed this test, there wouldn't be any suspicion on her in the future. Then when the time came...

It be all the better for her. They would have no-one to blame but themselves either! They wanted to test her did they? Killed her father for it? Well, fine! If Konoha wanted a war with her, then she wouldn't fail to disappoint them when the time came!

"You sure?" Kiba asked, warily.  
"Just _go_ Kiba! Nothing will... there's nothing you can do for me right now... Just let me figure this out on my own okay? I... I need to... figure this out!" Sakura replied, calling on her tearducts as she slammed her fist into yet another tree.

"Okay... My mother said to say there's a spare room with us if you... If you'd rather stay there..." he left it hanging.  
"...I think... Your mother's right. I'll be back in a while okay Kiba?" she replied, turning a little to face him and give a weak grin.

Forcing the nasty shade her chakra was taking down, Akamaru yipped in approval, and Kiba soon disappeared. The moment he was gone, Sakura slammed her fist into the tree behind her, and shattered the illusion the blonde Akatsuki had placed on himself. Blood spluttered from his mouth as her fist hit his stomach, before exploding into a pile of soppy clay.

Turning back to the spot she had seen the illusion in, Sakura glared at the man; there was an amused little smirk on his lips, one that drove right up her spine and not in a good way.

"What are _you_ here for?" she demanded, keeping her feet exactly where they were.

A quick brush of the surrounding area with her chakra reveal some mines in the ground. Not many, she would easily be able to get through them when she left, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She didn't know how strong the mines were either, and chancing them would bad.

"And here I thought we had an agreement – I want some information on the next Daimyo summit, not to mention that Hokage one the Raikage's been raving about. I know you've got it Haruno. I must say, your Hokage is a bit too trusting if she's keeping _you_ on as her assistant, yeah" he replied, frankly.

Sakura glared at him, and checked the area for any ANBU; it would be just her luck to have all her hard work unravel because of this idiot (just because he was an Akatsuki didn't mean she couldn't call him an idiot). She couldn't sense any – apparently he did know what he was doing after all.

"If you want that information, then _I_ want information on Itachi. It's only fair after all" she replied.

The blonde (she had to find out what his name was damn it all) didn't seem too bothered by her request – in fact he began trolling out a lot of information on where he tended to go, and where he was currently headed... Towards Lightning Country, having just left Wave...

Considering the geographical location of Wave, Sakura could only guess he was already following Naruto and Sasuke. She hadn't heard much on her movements lately, but if Itachi was assigned to hunt her down by Akatsuki, then he was bound to be following her at one point or another. Considering he had just left a village previously part of Whirlpool's jurisdiction, she was certain it was a fairly accurate guess.

But that begged the question... what on earth was Naruto doing in _Wave?_

"Come on Pinky – it's your turn now, yeah" the man prompted irritably.

Sakura considered telling him some false tales to sending off on a wild goose chase, but she needed to give him a reason to come back for information in the future if she wanted to keep track of Akatsuki's movements involving Naruto. Based on what she knew of the massacre, she didn't doubt that Itachi would kill Naruto the second she gave him even a slight chance. She also knew through Jiraiya and Tsunade that there was something deeper to the ranks of Akatsuki than met the eye.

She needed a first hand shot at spying on Itachi, but in order to do that she needed a way to get closer to him. That was where the blonde in front of her came in.

"I can give you the information of the Daimyo's council but not the Hokage's – I won't be attending and there are never any official records of the meetings. I don't know much about it, and the little I do is probably the same as what you know..." Sakura informed him, taking several steps closer – slow and deliberately calm.

"Fine tell me what you know now – we'll get to rest the next time I'm around. You might want to start looking like you need help getting away from the nasty rouge ninja Pinky – there are new ANBU coming"

"The Daimyo council is in four months. There'll be some Daimyo's of minor countries attending but I can't tell you which ones. The meeting is going to be about border definitions, and apparently Fire is having some controversy with one of its absorbed states – that's why they volunteered to hold it this year..." Sakura replied, flaring her chakra as high as she could.

It was the general signal for ANBU assistance within the village; charging some chakra into her fists.  
"Done" the blonde replied, defending himself from the landing her punch sent him flying into as the ANBU drew closer.

* * *

After a short fight with the Blonde Ass – one mostly consisting of chakra punches and small explosives all over the training ground – Sakura had succeeded in befuddling Tsunade again with another teary breakdown.

When the ANBU had taken her back to her office for questioning on why she had been in accompaniment of an Akatsuki, she'd just let the tears of her father's death flow free, albeit with the renewed hatred concealed. The fact that she would have been distressed over the apparent test of loyalty (if she had been a loyal ninja) saved her.

Either way, her chakra would have been as off as her racing heartbeat had. She was certain they both has taken that into account though, so Sakura was certain that her true grief had been what pulled her through the seemingly light interrogation. Tsunade was all to willing to re-welcome her and give her a comforting embrace as Danzou left the room.

It made her skin _crawl_. And yet that crawling feeling helped her; it reminded her where she was better off placing her loyalties, and truly convinced Sakura that affiliating herself with her best friend had been the right decision.

After her father's funeral – cremated and buried next to her mother and older sister – Sakura did the first thing that came to her naturally – she threw herself into her work. There wasn't much distinction between what she was doing for Tsunade and Naruto in terms of her medical investigations really.

Distracting herself from her rage and grief with work even worked in her benefit; Shizune gave her luxury of using one of the side laboratories for herself rather than share as usual. It meant she could finally get a sample of that compound and test it for herself, and run her own tests.

She finally had the identity of that compound, and had managed to test it against her own blood.

The reaction under the microscope had been infinitesimal, but the samples mixed perfectly, and the locks in her blood sample disappeared. She'd found the key she needed to get her bloodline back. And Konoha was using it to create a Kyuubi controling drug for Naruto.

She had no choice but to help create it, but with the warning she did... She'd even be able to get warning to Naruto before the Daimyo summit. It would leave her free to get her hands on the key itself without arousing suspicion.

Though just how she was going to manage that, she hadn't quite figured out.

* * *

Walking across the water to the Northern Hideout, Sasuke was in a pensive mood. Two months had passed since Naruto had left with Karin, and those had been a rather horrible two months for Sasuke not just mentally, but in terms of his physical welfare too.

Two weeks after Naruto had disappeared, his chakra had gone absolutely haywire in the middle of training with Orochimaru. It had been at an especially bad time too, since he'd been practising the control of large amounts of Lightning based chakra. It had been in preparation for what he hoped would become his strongest elemental technique, and if Orochimaru hadn't intervened and used one of his poisons to cut off his chakra network from the technique, he would have died.

It seemed that the two sources that had made up his chakra had been working in overdrive to produce enough chakra for himself and for Naruto, but didn't know how to stop now that Naruto was gone. It had taken a lot of mediation and starting with the academy leaf exercise all over again to get it back under control, but Sasuke had to admit, it was probably that inordinate amount of chakra that saved him from Orochimaru.

Naruto had been right – finishing Orochimaru off hadn't been _nearly_ as simple as he had hoped it would be. The only reason he wasn't a hollow husk for Orochimaru's soul was because the man had been sick, and because of his Sharingan. That was a good thing, once he certainly wasn't complaining about, but having Orochimaru's soul locked inside him was...

Uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable; he was lucky he could rely on the mental aspects of his bloodline to keep the man in check when he was sleeping, otherwise things would have been even worse.

"...so anyway, why the hell _are_ you recruiting Juugo for the patricide thing? The dude's crazy as that damn blonde _bitch!_ He just doesn't bother being subtle about it. He ain't that smart see, or he just doesn't care and just likes killing stuff... in any case he's a damn crazy bastard that ain't worth the trouble!"

Sasuke gave an internal sigh of frustration and counted to ten as Suigetsu babbled away beside him. Why didn't he have the _'immediate-silence-or-die'_ aura around everyone he met like Naruto did? Suigetsu was a fair enough person he supposed, but god he was annoying. He was certain he wouldn't have been nearly as chatty if Naruto had been around.

But Naruto wasn't around, through entire fault of his own. Truth be told, half of his mind wanted to look for her rather than Itachi. Without any chakra from him she was up serious shit creek. Unfortunately, he didn't know where to look, and he had his own priorities.

He felt guilty – he wouldn't try to claim otherwise, because he did feel guilty – but would Naruto have walked off like that if she wasn't certain she could find a substitute somewhere? Wasn't that why he had been helping her train her mother's bloodline, to get better control of the deeper abilities she'd inherited from her? Besides... there was a very simple solution if she needed it.

What was the point of beating around the bush about it now? Just because he didn't like the idea of Naruto having sex with someone else didn't make it the most practical solution. They both had separate priorities for the moment, so if she really needed chakra, he knew full well she could pick any random soul she wanted and drag him along until she didn't need him any more.

Then he could just kill the man himself – why had they been so obstinate about it? What was the _point?_

"Sasuke!"

Whirling around in surprise, he and Suigetsu stopped in confusion as Karin's voice drifted up behind them; Sasuke wasn't surprised he hadn't sensed her, but he was surprised by the frantic anger in her voice. Well, not completely; in hind sight, he should have listened to her advice, but he wasn't going to worry about that.

Karin had left with Naruto, but he couldn't see Naruto anywhere in sight... if that wasn't a bad sign by itself, then the fury on Karin's face made it all the worse. That sinking feeling he'd been ignoring since he'd first woken up after Naruto had left was coming back in full force.

"What the hell are _you_ doing here? I though you ran off with that psycho cousin of yo-"

Two glares were sent in Suigetsu's direction, and he wisely decided not to say anything else, but Sasuke had to admit he had a point. What _was_ Karin doing here? And more importantly, where the hell was _Naruto?_ Karin shouldn't be more than a few hundred meters away from her if her chakra problems were really as bad as they always seemed...

"What are you doing here Karin? Last I heard, you and Naruto were in Wave Country... weren't you?" he asked with wary curiosity.

Karin's glower didn't lessen at all as she closed the distance between the two of them, so Sasuke really should have expected the unexpectedly smack to his jaw from the redhead. Unfortunately, he was surprised by it. Almost enough to be caught by her fists once again, but he dodged the impact with a quick whirl behind her, grabbing Karin's wrists before she could aim her fists at him again.

Unrelenting, she flipped him over her back and onto the ground, flattening him to he ground with her weight and lashing her fists out at him. Catching them just before they hist his face he gave her an incredulous and confused stare. He'd learned enough about sesnsing chakra to recognise Karin's, so the thought of imposter ruled out, he was rather confused by Karin's sudden displeasure though.

"I _warned_ you Uchiha! I all but blurted it out not to do something _stupid!_ Do you have any idea of the mess you've landed her in?" Karin demanded, her fingers yanking on the neck of his shirt and bring his eyes up to her furious ones.

Sasuke was a little unnerved seeing the usually composed girl so angry – that was usually Naruto's forte – but he was too busy listening to her to notice much.

"You told me to consider – I considered it, and decided to do things my way for once all the same. What do you expect, that I'd just roll over and let her do what she wants? Screw that Karin – if she's desperate for chakra she can get it perfectly easily, and I can focus on killing Itachi without her holding me back! It's better like that, for both of us... She can focus on her goals and I can focus on mine... and get a breather..." he snarled, muttering the last sentence to himself as he shoved Karin off him.

Karin blinked at him as he stood up, and her face darkened. Bringing her fingers to the dart projector on her arm, Sasuke swore and slackened the chakra in his feet, slipping beneath the surface of the water to avoid the tiny little projectiles she had fired towards him.

They were only small senbon, only a quarter of an inch long, but that was all they needed to be. They were tinged with strong muscle relaxing poisons, or deadly ones depending on which cylinder she fired them from. While Naruto had helped immunise him against a large variety of them... Karin was immune to the same ones, and she had made some of those poisons herself.

Not all of them were laced though – some were simply plain miniature senbon. There was another use for them, one Karin only used on her stronger prey, and avoiding the darts was key to keeping away from her _own_ damn bloodline. Just one cut from those chakra infused darts and he would be finished. Sasuke was lucky he had the Sharingan to keep himself out of their way.

Most people wouldn't spot them – not only were they fast, but the were made of sharpened glass. They were tiny, lethal, and damn near impossible to see. Swearing to himself he formed a shadow clone and sent out below the water with its chakra suppressed as low as possible.

Forming a series of near instinctive hand signs, he streamed a small current of electricity towards Karin's feet. Not enough to completely electrocute her, just enough to get rid of those damn darts by disorientating her. He didn't want to have to dodge those while he was getting some sort of answer from her.

The shock of electricity caught Karin off guard, but she sensed it coming and managed to doge it before it hit the soles of her feet, flipping backwards onto a spot further back across the water. Firing another set of her miniature darts, Sasuke dodged them as he followed her on breaking the water's surface.

Her attention distracted, she didn't sense the clone until it had clamped around her upper arms and removed the irritating dart device from her arm.

"What are you doing here Karin? Lecture me later if you feel the need, but get to the point!" he hissed, taking the dart holder from his clone before it dispelled and glaring at it – he'd trained with Karin a few times and he'd never found a counter for the true techniques she used it for. Not a real one anyway.

Karin glared at him again, and snatched back the dart holder, re-strapping it around her wrist ans she muttered angrily to herself. Once satisfied, she turned back towards him with a mixed kind of sneer on her face. The kind that came from an _'I-told-you-so', _one that didn't give the voicer any satisfaction.

"What happened is that Naruto partnered up with _your_ bat-shit crazy brother, and got herself _sold out_ to Konoha!" she hissed.

* * *

**Nyeh heh heh heh heh heh :D**

**I do so love my cliffhangers. Sorry for the long update lag, but... chapters are getting harder to type. Mainly because my own future plot twists are confusing me, but also because my focus has recently been on a future story (technically two...) and my new college course. Drama HNC. Scary log book shit there... and... _*takes a deep breath*_ dance. **

**I'm a fairly middle-league nerd. I _don't_ dance. Safe to say my lecturer's definitions of _'going easy'_ on us, has left my calves cursing her very existence, and I've only had one class so far. I hate dancing. And apparently there will be a performance at the end of the year. _*cries*_ God help me and my two left feet.**

**There was a major time-skip reference in this chapter, because it needs to move along. Like, _seriously_ move along. I really want to get to the big battle, much as i can't believe that (I hate fight scenes). I'm interested in where you think this is headed though, especially after the plot development in this chapter (minor, but still plot development). I like to know what you guys think^^ **

**Apologies for the grammar in this chapter - I haven't performed my usual three-spell-checker check. I will try to update a little sooner, but... I really need to concentrate on avoiding plot holes -_-;**

**Chapter title is_ 'Wisemen'_ by James Blunt. Is it just me, or is this song a very good one to be used as a team 7 AMV?**  
**Hope you guys liked the chapter^^**  
**Nat.**  
**xxx **


	30. Part II: Not Strong Enough

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY  
- - NOT STRONG ENOUGH - -**

* * *

_'Shape your heart to front the hour, but dream not  
that the hour will last' ~ Alfred Tennyson._

* * *

Naruto awoke to discomfort.

Not that she had expected any less for falling into Konoha hands, nor did she expect it to get better. If anything, it was only going to get worse, but she needed to be inside Konoha, and since they were so willing to have her in their lovely village, why go to the effort of trying to break in when breaking out was going to be so much simpler?

She hadn't quite worked the escaping part out yet – no thanks to Sasuke – but she was in Konoha in time. That was the important thing. Sakura would only be able to get so far by herself with rejuvenating her bloodline, and there was one last thing she needed from Konoha before she came back to raise it from the ground.

Her father's bones were still here in Konoha, as were her mothers. She wasn't about to let them rest here, not here, not here of all places. Not in this murdering cesspool of a village. Her mother should be in her home, in Uzushiogakure, and her father with her, or failing that in his own home country at the very least...

She also wanted to have a nose around in Konoha's medical science labs in the ANBU division – they were bound to have a few varieties of the growth restraint extract her experiments in Otogakure had needed - but before that... she had to wonder what kind of contraption they had hooked her up to down here in interrogation land.

It almost felt like a wooden rack, but with out the stretching qualities. She had expected the lack of clothing – it was better for torture after all - and the chakra seals, but there was something else... something that made her feel rather lethargic. Glancing around with her head, she caught sight of the drip that was taped into one of her wrists, and the odd stones embedded into the wooden restraints, that chained her wrists above her head...

Drugs of some kind, obviously, but _what_ kind? She had a very high drug tolerance – only Orochimaru and Kabuto had overtaken her in immunisations – so for a drug to be effective on her was incredibly unusual. It had to be the drug that Sakura had mentioned last time she saw her, but what was in it?

If she'd had access to her chakra, she would have been able to examine the contents of her bloodstream, coursing it through her body and simply biting her lip for a sample, but unfortunately that had been restricted. She hated an unsatisfied curiosity.

The door opened, and three familiar faces stared down at her with grimly jubilant expressions. Danzou, Ibiki, and Kakashi. She also caught sight of the man creating her wooden prison. Naruto had only met Yamato briefly, but she knew him as Konoha's attempt to bring back Sakura's bloodline in a controllable receptacle. The others however... she knew those ones very well.

She also knew where she was with the addition of their faces, and a snarl curled at the corner of her lips. If it weren't so ludicrous, she'd laugh at them for being sentimental old haggards. The room where she made her first kill, activated, and lost control of the Kyuubi chakra in one shot, was hardly going to leave her memory, no matter how much they tried to erase it.

"Evening gentlemen, or is it afternoon? My sense of time seems a little bit muddled..." she asked calmly.  
"That will be none of your concern until your hanging" Danzou snapped; Naruto snorted.

"Always quick with the violence aren't we? Rest easy you tiny little fool – whatever you have clouding my head up is doing a fine job... What _is_ it you're pumping my veins with, by the way? I'd like to compliment the creator before I gut him. It really is _quite_ effective…" she replied, turning her hazy head back so she could see the chains on her, and jerking on them a little.

The wood was inlaid with chakra suppressing seals, thin, tiny carvings. Very powerful; more than likely Jiraiya had made them. No-one else had the skill required to keep them all in check. She also allowed herself an internal smirk as she saw Ibiki flinch away from her.

He'd never liked her ability to stay calm under duress. He shared the same insight as Itachi in that respect – he'd been the first to suggest erasing her from the programme, no doubt fearful of what would happen if she ever learned the truth of their actions. He had been right to do so.

"And you are ruled by your emotions – I had thought that training with Orochimaru would have sharpened your wits a little, but you seem as unruly as you always used to be. I suppose I should be thankful though – you wouldn't be joining us for this little get-together otherwise" he snorted, catching her smug gaze and covering his flinch.

_'He has a point there. How fascinating – an intelligent bug.'_

"I would have to disagree with that. Emotions are what make people so easy to manipulate. You just have to find out what makes them... tic... It's why you never got control over the Kyuubi – he's quite emotional for a demon sometimes. It takes another emotional being to understand a creature of his kind" Naruto replied with a shrug of her shoulders, internally glaring at her passenger for his smart-mouth comment.

"I doubt you know the difference between your own mind and his, depraved as it is. Which brings us back to our topic, I believe Kakashi" Danzou interrupted – the need for haste was rolling off him in waves, and Naruto snickered, forcing her full laughter back for a moment.

"Ah yes, tell me, just what have I been made your guest for?" she asked.

She hadn't had opportunity to ask Sakura anything during or before he capture since she had broken into Otogakure. She didn't have an up to date report on Konoha other than the political news she'd been hearing as she and Karin crossed back after visiting Lightning Country.

"Various things – now that we have suitable methods and a suitable vessel, you are no longer going to be such a thorn in our side, nor any of you little followers. One of your old classmates has volunteered for the job actually, one of the Yamanaka's, but first... I though we might as well try getting your tongue to loosen on what you've been up to recently" Danzou said, both calmly and eagerly.

Movement beside her drew her attention; Kakashi had approached the wooden body to which she was restrained by Yamato. His hands were forming a familiar set of hand signs. As the chirping blue electric chakra covered Kakashi's hand, an involuntary flinch overcame her self control. It only lasted a second, but her hosts had seemingly been expecting it.

"You didn't think we were so stupid as to capture you without knowing where your weaknesses were did you Naruto?" Kakashi asked, his dull tone almost conversational.

"I don't have weaknesses – only things that get in my way!" she snarled, a canine grin on her face.  
"Make this easier on yourself – your father would have wanted it"

Naruto said nothing, simply settling a glare on his half-masked face. She didn't need the Kyuubi chakra to watch him flinch; all she had to do was thing of tearing his throat out with her teeth, feel the last guttering breaths on her tongue, and the pure glee even imagination gave her seared the air around him...

The blue chakra kept on chirping though, and eventually its blue glow filled her eyes, its screech filled her ears. Kakashi's hand travelled towards her skin, and the licks stabbed at her. Then it settled on her chest, above a scar that had been left behind by the same technique.

A scar that had been left behind by Sasuke.

Kakashi's hand flattened on her skin, and she screamed as the lightning crackled through her bones, the soft tissue of her organs, shocked the blood cells in her veins, travelling in an endless circle. Every stab and spark brought a flash in her mind – memories of the same technique carving a hole in her at Sasuke's hand.

She'd never expected it – she thought she could predict everything about him, predict how high his tolerance was. She had been wrong – she had _miscalculated. _Blood formed in her mouth as her body tried to absorb the chakra being forced into her.

It felt revolting, wrong, and her screams became snarls at the repugnance she felt to it. She couldn't reject it – her body had been in a state of constant need of it since leaving Otogakure, even if it wasn't Sasuke's. Because it wasn't Sasuke's.

She had thought that mastery of her mother's chakra manipulation technique would help neutralise the chakra of other people. It had to be neutralised to be controlled, and if it was neutral, it was the same as if she got it from a chakra replenishment seal.

It hadn't worked. She had absorbed it, but it wasn't neutral. Her body rejected it. She'd relied on Karin up till the fight with the Konoha ninja's but her reserves were not for fighting with. She had managed to reserve some from Sasuke and the donation from Itachi but those were primarily for survival, not fighting.

She was stuck all because she had miscalculated... again.

The lightning seared through her, and her screams reverberated through the room in a mocking reminder that she had brought it on herself.

* * *

"What?" Sasuke breathed, the words that left Karin's lips leaving inches from speechless.

Karin glared at him, and Sasuke faltered for a moment. He was having more trouble processing those few words Karin had just spoken though. Naruto hated Itachi, almost as much as he did, so it made no sense for her to even have a conversation with him. Itachi was also one of the _'pests'_ that was hunting her for the Kyuubi. And yet...

Naruto was in Konoha now? Something wasn't adding up somewhere, but was that really what he should be focusing on. Konoha had caught Naruto. If they weren't going to brainwash her, she would be killed... How had they even caught her? She was an easy match for Kakashi, never mind the usual Chunin that got sent on simple search and capture missions...

"How?" he asked the redhead.

"I told you! I told you she wouldn't take it if you fucked up! This is all your fault! If you hadn't gone and tried to run off she'd never have listened to that son of a bitch! Now Konoha have her! They caught her because of you!" she snapped, not even bothering to answer the question.

Sasuke glared at her, ignoring Suigetsu's tentative attempts to figure out what was going on. It seemed like Karin was simply going to ignore him, then she let out a sigh of frustration, and kicked at the surface of the water.

"She's been off for weeks, but she was... she was managing until we ran into that bastard! Ever since she saw him, she absolutely lost it! She changed her plans every day, sometimes twice! That training in lighting really whacked her up, but after she ran into that asshole she just... She was a completely different person! Nothing she did brought her any gain!" Karin cursed.

Sasuke considered that... but he couldn't make sense of it. He couldn't comprehend Naruto not knowing what she was doing. She had been planning Konoha's downfall, Uzushiogakure's resurrection, for years. The thought that this wasn't part of what she wanted... it didn't seem right.

"It's called acting Karin. She's got every part of this planned down to the last detail, and about ten years worth of back up strategies planned out just as well in case her first plan fails. She just hasn't bothered to tell you – why is that so surprising?" he asked, mild exasperation in his voice.

Then again, in spite of his own words... Naruto wanted her revenge to come from Uzushiogakure itself didn't she? Getting caught didn't seem to fit with that goal. Even if it got her inside the village, she would certainly be kept under a very tight lock and key. No doubt they would put chakra... suppressors...

Sasuke's face paled; even if she'd found a way to move around without needing his chakra, she still needed more than double the amount of a regular ninja just to function on a basic level as a human. Not even being a Jinchuriki would help her with that. If she was in Konoha, and they put those seals on her...

But she would have planned for that... right? And Sakura was there! He highly doubted Sakura would let her best friend die... but what if Sakura didn't have the backbone? What if she was working for Konoha behind Naruto's back? It wasn't like they could have checked up on her... He doubted Sakura would let her die so easily either way though...

"No! That's just it! She isn't thinking straight! She isn't sticking to any of her plans, she'd just blundering along hoping luck is going to play along with her! Because you fucked everything up and couldn't trust her and stick in the mud a little longer! That's why she listened to him! Because of you!" Karin berated, jerking his defensive and insulted mindset back to play.

"Oh? Given that she was the one who left with so much as a see you later, I highly doubt my opinions have anything to do with what she wants! I highly doubt there's anyone bar the Konoha elders and Jiraiya who can make her loose track of things" Sasuke snapped at the redhead, ignoring the increasingly alarmed look from Suigetsu.

Karin stared at him in shock, horror, surprise, disbelief, a great many things he didn't care to name, before twisting with laughable anger once again.

"You really think that? How can you honestly say that with a straight face?" she hissed, a very dangerous noise to hear from Karin he had learned in the past three years.

"It's the truth – she doesn't trust her own shadow Karin! How the hell is she supposed to trust anyone else if she can't-"  
"Oh for the... You've had sex with her, you've been so close you could break her neck in a flash and you honestly think she doesn't trust_ you?_!"

Sasuke faltered - he'd never really thought about that. Maybe he had an advantage there – Naruto just didn't have the same muscle mass as he did. When they were close like that, he could and had grab hold of her and essentially do whatever he wanted. It was one of the few things he'd surpassed her in, so in a way, he supposed Karin was right but... She was still perfectly capable of killing him if she felt like it. He had no assumptions about that... and yet...

Karin was right. She could kill him. She could do so easily. So easily it scared him to think about it, but she let him get that close, despite the risk... if there really was a time when she would be vulnerable, it would be then... wouldn't it? He's had his hands on her throat before, just to feel the breath in it under his fingers as they twisted together... it would have been so easy to just snap it, or choke her to death...

Certainly Kimimaro may have been in the same position before him, but hadn't that just been Naruto's way of keeping Orochimaru's lackey in check? Kimimaro never had any control there. He might not have realised that at first, but Naruto would never have let him get any kind of control over her.

Yet for him, when they'd had sex, she didn't quite have that. The regularity of their sex life was purely based on her chakra intake, but the actual sex itself... even when she had being a complete bitch about telling or not telling him anything, there was always a point when... when she did actually give up and just... when she didn't care about controlling everything, and just cared more about what they were doing.

He doubted it would be easy to kill her, but it was a chance. Not a weak spot, just a chance, but it was there.

"...You're the only who gets that luxury, and you had to let your ego get in the way and spit all over her. I'll grant you she probably deserves some of it but... You're an utter imbecile Sasuke! You knew what you were getting into when you left Konoha! You should try remembering again!" Karin finished.

Sasuke felt as lost as he had after stabbing Naruto with a Chidori and gaining his advanced eyes. This was all his fault, again? He didn't intend for this to happen! He just wanted her to think about people other than herself for a while! That was all he'd been trying to do!

And just like before, Sasuke found his path taking two different directions to what he had originally intended. Though rather than stay in Konoha, he was faced with something much more difficult – Naruto or Itachi.

Naruto was half the reason he had left Konoha, but Itachi was the other half. He fully intended to kill him, and he had no intention of letting Naruto interfere with that. No matter what, he would kill his brother... but was he going to kill Naruto again for that? He hadn't managed with it before; he didn't even want to try doing it again.

Maybe... Maybe he didn't have to kill Itachi immediately. Itachi wanted to kill Naruto anyway – either for Akatsuki or his own personal warped ideals. It was entirely possible that by going to help Naruto out of whatever she had landed herself into, he would find Itachi all the quicker...

"And just so you know, there _is_ someone who winds Naruto up as much as you and the other Konohites do – frankly I'm stunned you haven't realised it already, I already told you after all!" Karin sneered.

Sasuke stared at her, his mind flicking rapidly through a list of aces common between him and Naruto, trying to find anyone who would get under her skin enough to unsettle her. None seemed to fit – maybe Kakashi? No, Naruto would hold her own against Kakashi... it had to be someone she considered a threat, but the narrow list still wasn't an easy one to pick from.

"Spit it out Karin – I'm sure you're dying to rub my stupidity in my face" Sasuke snarled, finally giving up on logic; he didn't have time for this. He had his own search to concentrate on.

"Itachi" Karin hissed, and Sasuke's blood seared disbelievingly through his veins.

Itachi? That didn't make sense! Itachi wanted to kill Naruto yes, but lots of people did. They had some link in the past somewhere, but not one Sasuke would consider very friendly from what he had observed three years ago. There was no reason for Itachi to bother her besides being in Akatsuki... then again, most of the people she had killed were just a convenient meal (repulsive, but inarguable) or in the way of her minor goals. The people she hated were the major ones...

He knew it. There was something he was missing on the subject between Itachi and Naruto. Something pivotal no doubt. Something that garnered Naruto's hatred of Itachi as equal to his own, and something told him it wasn't a simple matter of Itachi killing the Uchiha. This was something a little stronger, but why didn't Naruto just kill him herself?

He didn't doubt she had a chance of it. If there was anyone equal to Itachi, it was probably her much as he hated admitting it. So why didn't she kill him? He didn't believe for a second that it was consideration for his own hatred. If someone got in her way, she dealt with them. If Itachi was a hindrance, then why didn't she kill him?

"And why would Itachi have any effect on Naruto? His only issue with her is the Akatsuki problem... or is there something I'm missing here Karin?" he demanded.

Karin faltered for a moment – looking torn between truth and lies before settling for the middle ground. Otherwise called ambiguity.

"Naruto hates Itachi because he embodies everything she despises, including her relation ship with you, and she can't kill him because... no matter how she plans things, his fate is in your hands not hers. Either way, killing Itachi herself would impact her relationship with you and she won't risk that" she said reluctantly.

"Itachi despises her but he can't kill her for his own reason, which means he risks betraying Akatsuki, so all he can do is throw her off. He knows her mind well enough to manage it, he's smart enough to figure out her plans, and if he does decide to move directly, she doesn't know if she could beat him, even if it was her option to kill him..." she muttered reluctantly.

Sasuke snapped as his temper rose; Sharingan flicking on, his skin itched as it turned grey, and then Karin's throat was in his hands. He wouldn't kill her – she was the closest thing Naruto had to a relative, and despite their complications and disagreements, he wouldn't take that away from her, but he wanted answers, and a little intimidation practice never hurt.

"That doesn't answer my question Karin! I asked what Itachi had to do with her, not for ambiguous dances to avoid answering me! What does he have to do with her?" he demanded, tightening the grey fingers around her throat for a second before throwing her to the water again.

She fell through the surface, and came up spluttering – she even accepted help from a slightly perturbed Suigetsu. Sasuke ignored the glare she sent him – he was sick to death of all these lies and half truths! Sick to death of all this confusion, dissent, and though he'd never say it out loud, he was worried about Naruto on top of everything else now.

She ignored it too much, her bloodline. It was a very real disability in the wrong situation, and being caught by Konoha was very much the wrong situation. It was probably half why they caught her in the first place – never mind all this crap about his brother, it was her own stubborn head and her infuriating bloodline that was going to get her killed!

"I can't tell you Sasuke... I wish I could – it would make things a heck of a lot easier for everyone – but... Naruto put a blood seal on me. It'll cut my vocal chords the minuet I try... all I can say is that Naruto gave you the chance to find out, and you destroyed it yourself..."

Sasuke stared at her; Karin had let Naruto put that kind of seal on her? Was she insane? Did she even realise how much power Naruto had over her now? What was so important about his brother that Naruto had to hide it from him to this extent? He remembered that file Naruto had given him a few months after arriving in Otogakure and cursed his twelve year old self for being so rash and unthinking.

His brain felt scrambled as he struggled to find an explanation, but he couldn't think of one. The only way he was going to get an answer was to go to Konoha, or confront his brother himself. He couldn't see Itachi as being up to sharing, nor Naruto, but he had a better chance with her than he did with Itachi. Damn it all, this was not going the way he planned!

It was supposed to be easy – join Naruto, get stronger, kill brother, help Naruto with whatever she wanted, and then die happy sometime later. This was too confusing. There wasn't supposed to be any more to this! Glancing at his two companions, Sasuke mulled over everything several more times, trying to pick one over the other.

As far as he could tell, Itachi would be around for a while, but Naruto was in very real trouble. He would confront her about Itachi, and then deal with his brother. That was the best course of action now – he hated being delayed, hated having his plans put back, but he wasn't fighting Itachi blind.

If Naruto had information on Itachi, then he was damn well going to get it. She knew whatever had been in that folder, and if she wouldn't tell him, he'd break into the Hokage's office and find it himself.

"How long will it take to get to Konoha from here?" he asked tentatively.  
"We were a month from Konoha when their tracking party caught up with us, and it took me another month to get here..." Karin replied, carefully he noted.

Two months then. Two months at the very least would pass before he got there, and god knows what would happen if Naruto didn't get any chakra later than that. She needed it daily... but he was much faster than Karin was. Very much faster. If he pushed himself, only slept after a few days and nights travel, he could cut the two moth journey in half. He was sure of it.

It would be even easier once he got to fire country too. He'd spent his Genin years running around after stray cats and bridge builders and guarding idiotic merchants all over fire country. He knew the terrain well. That would cut his time further still form Karin's...

"Go get Juugo, then meet me as soon as you can. I'll leave a trail for you to follow…"

He'd waited this long to kill Itachi – waiting a little longer wasn't going to make much of a difference.

"But first... tell me exactly what happened, Karin."

Karin's face was grim and stony as she did exactly that.

* * *

_**Nyeh heh heh! I'm back! **_

_**Are you all confused? Good! That means plot is progressing as planned! There will be some actual action next chapter – sorry for taking so long to get to it :( there will also be some interaction with Itachi 8D Unfortunatley, as always I cannot promise quickness (though my muses have come back for this story). I will try, but I wo'nt lie; I procrastrinated **_**way**_** too much, and I have about five overdure deadlines to make for college.**_

_**Whoever thinks Drama courses are all fun and full of acting is **_**LIAR**_**.  
They are **_**LYING**_** to you! **_

_**It's full of horrible things called paperwork, logbooks, and a horrible unit with no relation to Drama **_**whatsoever**_** called Comms. Then there's the Human Biology! Seriously, to memorise a dance routine I have to know the **_**Latin**_** names for leg and aarm muscles, and had to memorise the entire breathing process and throat muscles for voice! We haven't even done a frciking **_**monologue**_** yet! Who the hell makes up this coursework?**_

_***Ahem***_

_**Title is **_**'Not Strong Enough'**_** by Apocalyptica Ft. Brent Smith.**_

_**Lemme know what you think of how things are going so far.**_  
_**You have no idea how much they cheer me up^^**_

_**TTFN**_  
_**Nat**_  
_**xxx**_


	31. Part II: Hymn For The Missing

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY–ONE  
- - HYMN FOR THE MISSING - -**

* * *

_'The worst thing about loneliness is that it brings one  
face to face with oneself' ~ Mary Balogh._

* * *

Crouched in the trees, Naruto heightened her sensory capacity to the maximum it would go, waiting for one of the civilians that passed through the trail to the other side of the village to walk by. All civilians had chakra, some more than others. It was just a case of finding out which one until they got to lightning country.

Negotiations with the Raikage had, unsurprisingly, gone well. Maybe she'd let Sasuke meet him when their negotiations were brought to light at the Daimyo meeting... if he had the audacity to show his face and apologise.

Then again, maybe she should have waited after all – even if she was hungry, all this bad chakra wasn't doing her any good. Karin's chakra was already starting to get rejected, and while she was certain she could stock up from the eight and two tails hosts without fear of similar problems for a while... she didn't want to know how long that would last.

Not that it wasn't manageable of course. It just felt absolutely vile. Worse than Kabuto's had been. She might consider going back to Otogakure if it meant getting some decent chakra...

To her luck, a group of Konoha ninja's passed beneath the branches of the tree she was concealing herself in – not high ranking, but with larger stores than the common civilian would. Baring her teeth in a snarling grin, she felt her nails growing to points as she leapt silently from the branches on to the back of one brown-haired man.

Just as he turned his head, she sunk her teeth into his neck and tore his throat out; his blood was warm and seeped down her throat with the sliding flavour of hot iron. His companions stared as his body toppled to the ground, spraying red across the path.

Recovered from their shock, his three companions retaliated with all the brashness and unprofessional irrationality of anger. Savouring the tangy and rich blood, Naruto gathered her chakra in her palm, forming three blades of sharp wind, before flicking each one towards her completely open attackers.

The first two fell down dead immediately, but the last one was still half awake. Had there been a medic, he might have lived. Draining the chakra that lingered from her first meal, she stood up and approached the man who laid gasping and spluttering form the wound on his chest against a tree.

He glanced at her, and his eyes widened in recognition. And utter fear- she could smell it on him. The breaking beads of sweat, the fresher scent of blood being pumped faster around his body, even noticeable atop the pace form his wounding.

His eyes stared back at her – a dark brown that bordered on black - and she tilted her head at him considering his appearance. His hair was also a close match to brown, though a little reddish, standing in several directions around his forehead protector. It was an appearance she found... familiar.

Snarling at the image his face had drawn to the front of her mind – where it was no longer wanted - she plunged one of her hands into his eye sockets, and yanked the ball of gungy white mush from its place.

His screams were, with the shrieks of the birds, a cacophony in her ears. Throwing the eye to the ground, she stomped and squashed it as well ass she could, till that dark-coloured stare was gone.

Glancing back at the man, she slowly pried his other eye from his head and then forced it into his mouth. She didn't want to touch it! She didn't want that look anywhere on her skin. It felt like being judged, like she had made an immoral mistake of some kind by acting as she did. It made her wonder about...

The man scream and sobbed through the blood on his face, white dribbles coming from his mouth as she forced the eyeball to stay in his mouth, clamping his jaw shut with her hands. Finally there was a swallow, and she felt the stare disappear.

Loud unpleasant laughs of relief ripped form her throat as she bit down on the flesh of the ninja's throat, and returned to her re-supplying. Perhaps the drawn out scream were an indication that she was going too far to convince herself she was not bothered by her circumstances... but if they were, Naruto didn't notice.

She was almost too relieved – she almost didn't hear the scream of horror from a woman with burnt blonde hair as she chanced across the feast Naruto had made for herself. As her footsteps thudded away, back in the direction of the village, Naruto finally heard her.

Tearing a last chunk of flesh from the dead man, she cracked the air from her joints, stretching her arms over her head, before languidly following the woman who had disturbed her. Three low-ranking ninja's had given her a good boost of chakra, but she needed more if they were to reach lighting country tomorrow night.

Minute as their reserves were, civilians had their share of chakra too, and Naruto had no qualms on letting the Kyuubi raise a Fire Country village into the ground.

* * *

Naruto was irate as the Kyuubi glowered through her eyes as the wreckage of the small village. There were a few survivors, but not many. Some were torn into pieces, some simply stabbed with her claws, some had a snapped neck, but all the dead had been drained of chakra.

And she was still unsatisfied.

Her reserves didn't feel full. She knew they were close to it – she felt stronger, her head was clearer, and she could perform the shadow clone technique to her usual efficiency – but she still felt unpleasantly empty. The chakra was disappearing a little faster too, and was weak.

Untrained chakra wasn't her best solution, it was too free, and was harder to absorb, but she wouldn't weaken herself by forging another connection with someone else. It was bad enough she needed Sasuke's chakra already – she didn't want anyone else having that much power over her!

She couldn't afford this though; she had too much to do. She needed to go check that the building preparations in Wave Country were still under-way, that the Daimyo was prepared for the summit in Konoha, get to Lightning Country for her rendezvous with the Eight-Tails... but she needed chakra from Sasuke.

Soon. She wasn't going to do well if she couldn't get even a minor donation some time soon. She was hoping that chakra from the eight-tails would help – Gaara's had never been hard to absorb – and that she could coax some out of that rat Sasuke called a brother.

Itachi would be hard to convince, but she was sure she could do it. He'd likely stab her in the back later on – he was very talented at that. A true Konoha ninja; Naruto sometimes wondered if Sasuke had inherited some of those unpleasant tendencies nowadays.

He'd give her the chakra though – as long as Sasuke was still loyal to her (which for the sake of her own sanity, she partially believed), would still be a hollow ruin if she died, argument or otherwise, she'd be able to get it from him...

The thought occurred to her that Sasuke might come back, and she almost wished he would. It would make things so much easier... but why should she wait around? He was no use to her if he was going to insist on throwing a kunai into her plans just because his ego was getting bruised...

It was for his own good! It had been for his own good! His own good, his own good, his own good, and he was stupid for thinking it was for something else! The Sharingan wouldn't hold Orochimaru's soul back forever! Surely he could see that by now?

She had heard enough rumours to know he had 'killed' Orochimaru, but she knew Orochimaru wasn't going to be killed just by illness and a couple of stab wounds! He was a vile snivelling snake, a weed that kept on coming back because the root was never damaged enough. Something as trivial as a bloodline wasn't going to hold him in check!

So why was Sasuke still gallivanting around by himself? He had to know that by now! Surely sleep deprivation would be affecting him by now? He wouldn't be able to sleep, or avoid fighting the snake-man in his subconscious each night... There was no reason for him to be running around by himself either!

Itachi was – as far as Sasuke knew – chasing her for the Kyuubi, and trained enough to seal most of Orochimaru's remnants away until he could be killed for good. There was no practical reason for him to leave her the way he was!

"Naruto?"

Her head swivelled on her cousin; Karin was pointedly ignoring the carnage, simply stepping over the blood and debris as she approached (though she looked a little pale).

"What?" she asked, not sure to be mad or relived for the interruption.

That last train of though was burrowing into her, deeply. She wasn't fond of the feeling, didn't really know what it was either – that worried her on it all the more.

"I found a hint to his direction – we can head for Lightning Country, and I'll be able to find his trail again now but-"

"Good – do me another favour and get all this stuff into a canteen – there'll be chakra traces in it, and it might help if I ingest it as I go" she instructed, pointing to the blood that soaked her clothes, and then gesturing to the unpleasantness surrounding them.

Karin frowned, but nodded. Forming a trail of hand signs with her fingers, Naruto stood back as her cousin's chakra spread over the area, lingering on her clothing and swallowing the immediate area. With flowing, but crooked hand gestures, Karin jerked her arms back, and the red stains left her body, as well as several bodies around her.

They shrivelled as the liquid was extracted from them, and a hovering, pulsing red ball of liquid hung in the air in front of Karin. Pulling a scroll from her pouch, Naruto bit her thumb and withdrew several medium sized water canteens. They were quickly filled then sealed away.

As she re-placed the scroll in her pouch, Naruto glanced at the frown on Karin's face; it had been there ever since she had mentioned Itachi.

"Is something wrong?" she demanded; she could almost smell the accusation rolling off her, and it was taking a lot of self control to keep her claws in check from it.

There was nothing wrong with her decisions; everything she had done was according to her own steps, her own goals. Itachi could stab her in the back all he wanted – it wouldn't kill her, and if his loyalties were still intact, then it would just be to her benefit!

What did Karin think? That because Sasuke had taken off by himself that she was incapable of making a cohesive decision? That his absence was having sort of affect on her?

Had the idea not worried her, Naruto would have scoffed at it. Unfortunately that was the whole problem. Sasuke's need to rebel had left her stranded, and if he didn't pack it up soon... she was in trouble. Surely he hadn't forgotten that without his chakra, she was very much in danger of death?

She was only putting it off! Her body was rejecting Karin's chakra, she doubted she'd be able to take much of Itachi's or the eight-tails', and civilian chakra simply wasn't strong enough even if there was an abundant source of it.

He knew that! He knew that, so why was he abandoning her? Didn't he love her? So much that the thought of her dead left him a hopeless wreck? She had seen the state of his face when she had returned to Konoha after being fixed by Kabuto. The night she'd been stuck with this stupid bloodline...

He'd been a shell, slumped by the wall like he had been there for weeks. He wouldn't die, but he would be gone if she was dead! She knew that, he knew that, so why was he leaving her? It wasn't practical for him in his search to do so... so why was he leaving her? Why?

The question plagued her – it filled her head and dreams sometimes, along with the crackling white light of lightning being driven through the centre of her chest... was this the same thing? Was this another way of stabbing her with a Chidori? All because she'd been trying to keep Orochimaru away from him?

She'd been making things easier for him, but he didn't think she knew what she was doing. He'd saddled her with this stupid bloodline, and now he was stabbing her with another Chidori. The thought stung, and never left.

"I just... I don't like this idea Naruto. Itachi wants to kill you and you're as good as giving him the opportunity. This is your biggest weakness right now, and it's too easy to manipulate! If Itachi finds out... what would you do if you were him?" Karin asked, not even flinching at the cold glared her words had earned her as Naruto's attention refocused.

"I wouldn't know – that rat doesn't make sense to me. Just spit it out Karin!" Naruto snapped.

Karin glared at her.

"You know exactly what he'd do Naruto! He'll use this stupid argument you and Sasuke are having about who wears the pants and keep Sasuke away from you with false trails! Even of Sasuke does decide to come back by himself, he'll just get in his way and distract him again, and it'll be long enough to kill you! This is a mistake and you know it!" she replied, calmly and sharply.

Naruto agreed. It did sound like something Itachi would do, but... it wouldn't work. As long as she kept up with fresh, new chakra sources, didn't get too used to one in particular, her body wouldn't reject any so badly. Itachi wouldn't kill Sasuke. If that happened, she would hide from the disgusting man and re-group with Sasuke without his notice.

"Itachi won't be a problem Karin! I'm prepared for anything he can throw at me" she growled, her voice convincing her that Itachi wasn't nearly as problematic as Karin was pointing out.

"No you're not! Look, I know you were counting on Sasuke being here, but if you'd just admit you made a mistake-"

"I didn't make any mistake! I left him out of our plans so that Orochimaru couldn't speed up the transfer! I was helping him, and this is what he repays me with! He made the mistake, not me!" Naruto snapped, before taking quick steps away from Karin and heading west across the village ruins in the direction of lightning country.

She felt Karin's chakra following her at some distance behind, and she did her best to ignore it, but she had the smallest, gnawing feeling that... she had taken things too far.

* * *

The mountain village of Kumogakure was quite the sight to behold. The altitude made her a little light headed, but Naruto was nothing if not adaptable. She didn't bother sneaking into the village – she didn't have to.

That was the brilliant thing about politics – you could depend on people working to their own advantage, and use them for your own, and usually get away with it. She'd never posed a threat to Kumogakure – the only village she'd ever had any problems with was Konoha, and it was well known.

She'd never even been a registered ninja in the first place, so while Konoha could put a price on her head all they wanted... none of the other villages bothered her much. She was followed – of that she was not surprised by - as she walked through the streets, but she got into the Raikage's office as a visitor all the same.

Stepping into the room behind the Kumo's ANBU-Equivalent escort, Naruto settled her eyes on the two men and the blond woman inside the office for the first time; her communications with the Raikage had all been done by sealed messages and messenger hawks, so this was her first time meeting him in person.

Karin was a little fidgety behind her, but nothing that would have been detrimental to what she had arrived for. A Yotsuki was seated behind his desk leaning back in his chair in a lounging manner, an irritated expression that seemed to be a normal appearance worn on his face.

"You took some time getting here; I understand there was a delay of some kind in Fire Country?" he asked, forgetting introductions and pleasantries – Naruto smiled, glad to be around someone with the right kind of priorities.

"Lets just say I ran into a few technical difficulties Uncle... did you get the message from Tazuna?" she asked, pulling up a chair brought by one of the attendants and slumping across the arms with relief – the journey had been starting to tire her.

"I received word from him last week; he will be arriving in Konoha in time for the meeting. Things have progressed as well as they needed to in Wave Country. His grandson brought the message – Inari? He's been training with Yugito's team for the past few weeks. I'm sure he'd be able to give you more information – he's well trained for a brat" A nodded.

"Good – I think I will see him later. I haven't seen him for a while, but I want to focus on what we spoke of in our letters. Can you be sure Konoha will be distracted enough during the meeting, and the after-negotiations?" she asked.

It was pivotal that Konoha was distracted in the next few months; Wave Country needed the time to prepare and fortify before they made the official announcement – Konoha would not give them time to prepare for its forces if they knew that Uzushiogakure was rebuilt.

This was the final stage of a goal that had been her only concern for the past eight years; it had started in the office the night she met Orochimaru in the Hokage's office, and if things worked as she wished, that would be where they would end.

It hadn't taken much to get wave country on her side; the Daimyo had been overjoyed when, a few years after leaving Konoha, she had removed a troublesome man named Gatou form the area. He had been further joyed to know that the Uzumaki clan wasn't dead.

After Tazuna had completed his bridge, she had approached him with another task, appealing to his former position in the rankings of Uzushiogakure ninja, and when she had revealed the true extent of Konoha's treachery... his alliance was sealed.

The seals that kept the constructions hidden from the eyes of Konoha and the other villages were not ones she could maintain by herself, even if they were the best seals she had ever made. Uzushiogakure was not the only village to have suffered a loss to Konoha, and Kumogakure's loss went back years before her mother even set foot in Konoha.

It was always best to start a war with at least one country already on your side, especially when being head-hunted by an idiotic terrorist group. The Raikage was a practical man, but he was still a family man, in the most literal sense of the word as she had discovered.

Kumogakure ninjas maintained the seals that hid Uzushiogakure, and would continue to do so until the Wave Daimyo had formally declared to the Fire Daimyo that thy had returned to being an independent nation. As such, Konoha needed a distraction.

Naruto was very good at distracting people, but she'd like a little more preparation before she visited her lovely little home town.

"Certain; I may have a temper but I can keep them occupied until you find what you need, but that isn't why you've paid me a visit is it?" A asked, unconcernedly.

Naruto smiled as close as she could to a true smile; her Uncle wasn't the most patient of men, but he had a head on his shoulders and a sense of practicality that she could at the very least respect. He had been absent too long to garner any affection from her, but it didn't seem to bother him all that much.

"No, it isn't. I believe that the time for me to take up that training offer has come" she replied.

"There is a boat waiting for you; we received word of you passage over the border, and it seems my assumption was correct. How long before my men are to start gossiping of your whereabouts in fire country?"

Naruto smirked; she really did like practical people. They were so much easier to get along with.

* * *

_**I'm back, for how long I dont know, but for now, I'm back! Sorry for the long wait :) Mega deadlines coming up for my Drama course at the moment. I have a re-sit for voice next week, and I'm panicking guys - my first attempt I didn't even get 10% and studying is not something I know how to do... *cries***_

_**Just to clear any confusion, this takes place between Karin confronting Sasuke, and Naruto being captured by Konoha - It's essentially what led to both those events. I could have simply shoved this in somewhere earlier in the story... but that would have been boring, and would have given too much away too soon. **_

_**Besides, I like the ability to bestowed by the author to mindf*** the reader. **__**Seriously, it's better than alcohol, and I like alcohol (though to be fair, I don't have a wide variety of preferences - Apple Sourz and Blu WKD suits me fine). **__**Now if only my tolerance levels agreed with me... And before anyone asks, I'm allowed alcohol in Britain and America - I was 21 last year^^**_

**_...I'm not sure how I got onto this subject, so back to the main stuff; the Chapter _**_**Title is **_**'Hymn For The Missing'**_** by Red, and you'll find out more about the Raikage next chapter XD**_

_**That's all for now folks - stay tuned :)  
**__**Nat  
**__**xxx **_


	32. Part II: Where Do We Draw The Line?

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY–TWO  
- - WHERE DO WE DRAW THE LINE? - -**

* * *

_'Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never_  
_did and never will' ~ Frederick Douglas._

* * *

Karin scowled to herself as she made her way through the under bush on the lower slopes of the Lightning Country mountains.

She loved her _'cousin'_ dearly, as much as she had loved her grandfather before Konoha had killed him with most of the other Kaguras she had lived with as a child, but sometimes she was a _very_ stupid girl. She was just too fucking crazy and selfish and angry to see what she was doing to herself.

Karin supposed she wasn't any better for agreeing to go hunt for Itachi – it wasn't like he was all that far away any way – but she didn't have a choice. She had stupidly agreed when she first arrived in Otogakure to a blood sealing between herself and Naruto.

Naruto said at the time it was so that she could explain all her plans to someone openly, and forego the risk of an enemy finding out since speaking of them would immediately shred her vocal chords. Unfortunately, it didn't give Karin much room to manoeuvre against what she wanted either.

Like this idiot idea with Itachi! Sure, he probably _would_ give her the chakra she needed, but even if he didn't kill her himself, he'd do something that would get her killed. He was a rouge ninja, but not one like they were. He was still _protecting_ that grossly unwholesome village, and Naruto was his biggest threat.

Skidding to a stop amongst a sparse, but woody clearing close to a glacial lake, Karin glared at the dark-cloaked man calmly seated on one of the rocks beside the water. After a moment of unpleasant disbelief in her cousin's request, she approached him.

"You're along way from home Miss Kagura – may I enquire as to why you have been following me for the past three days?" Itachi asked as Karin approached.

"I have a message from Naruto for you; actually it's more of a request. She wants you to meet her in a week or so at the border of lightning and fire country. She said you'd know where. That's all I came to say" Karin replied, nervously.

She had her own skills, and Naruto had at least had the foresight to provide her with a sample of Itachi's blood so she would have a chance to infect him, but she wasn't exactly made for the battle field. Itachi was much more attuned to the battlefield.

She would be hard pressed to pick between he and Naruto as to who came out trumps in that regard.

Naruto was crazy. There was no denying it. She was a crazy, insane, vengeful woman with a monster grudge, and demon in her gut who did nothing to help matters. That coupled with the sheer enjoyment and pleasure she took from carnage put her right at home in a war zone.

Itachi was calm collect and so unwholesomely skilled that even Kage's feared his involvement in such things, and breathed sighs of relief when he kept to himself.

He had a good knowledge of tactics and while he had favoured skills like Naruto did, he was an all-rounded ninja. He hated fighting, proven by his background alliances, but he was ruthless enough to start a war to stop one in an obscure way.

She simply couldn't decide which of the two was worse.

"I see. Would I be right in the assumption that her genetics have started to prove their nuisances in my little brother's absence?"

Karin shivered. As much research as Naruto had done on Itachi, it seemed he had done just as much on her, but that wasn't the real part of his question that worried her.

His tone was bone chilling. He sounded so smug to know that Naruto was killing herself, that she was lowering herself to the point she would ask for his help. So smug that she wasn't corrupting his little brother anymore.

She didn't think she had ever seen two people who loathed each other as much as her cousin and Sasuke's brother.

"In that case, I will meet her as she wishes; it's been a while since I spoke with her, and I'm sure we have a great deal to... discuss" he finish, taking her silence as a yes.

Karin wasted no time in high-tailing it back in the direction she had just come from.

* * *

Naruto fell to her knees, drawing in several deep breaths staring at the unwholesome mirror image in front of her. She had expected trouble with this training – her uncle and Killer Bee had warned her that it would be hard for her to handle.

Now she had the unfortunate knowledge of why. Pulling herself up from the pooling waters of the waterfall, she charged a Rasengan in her hand and leapt for her disgusting, simpering self once more. Once again, she was met with the perfect blow to stop herself – a mirrored Rasengan.

Aiming a kick at her mirror's head, it was blocked by a quick forearm, and she had to spin herself away to avoid the exploding tag timed to the dispelling of the clone she had just realised she was fighting. Frowning, Naruto watched her counterpart on the other side of the water.

Given the convenience of her counterpart's apparent attitude - a complete upside down to her own – she could only assume that despite the differences their abilities were still the same. That perky attitude grated on her teeth though.

She shuddered to think what would have happened has she turned out that way – For gods' sakes, _'Dattebayo'_? Ugh! She would leave the wardrobe aside since she wore the same one, but that attitude... It was so... so... so disgustingly _Konoha_ that it chilled her to see it coming from herself.

Of course, if their abilities were the same, then they would be trapped in an eternal stalemate. They may be different, but whatever this Naruto's driving force was probably gave as much determination as her own did. They were opposites of the same thing, so the fundamentals couldn't be too different.

If they were, the test would have been a moot one. Given she would not be able to fight this foully optimistic version of herself in non-existence; Naruto had to face the inevitable.

"I suppose were going to have a conversation now?" she asked, heading to the small island in the middle of the pool, and pulling of the wrap that held her battle yukata closed, before pulling that off too, and wringing the water from them.

Her counter part frowned; it was an exact match of one of her milder ones. The only differences between the two of them were the fastenings in their long bunches. She still had the thin ropes reminiscent of the ropes Orochimaru had been fond of. Her counterpart had a pair of black ribbons.

"Too right we are! I obviously can't beat you, but I'll be damned if I let you continue what your doing! Konoha is my home! I won't let you destroy it, and I won't let you drag Sakura-chan or Sasuke down with you!"

Naruto stared up at her counterpart in half amusement; have caution. She knew what this was supposed to be – her inner self. The part of her that she didn't acknowledge, the part locked away. In other words, the test was psychological, not physical.

She would be lying if she said she wasn't a little concerned, but she didn't think it would be that much of a problem either. If there was a hidden side to her, then there was hidden side to her counterpart too.

She just had top let the hair-brained idiot do the talking first.

* * *

"_Naruto? She's in Lightning Country? But we can't go over their borders for her! She isn't listed in the bingo book, so we don't have the legal backing to cross the border do we?"_

Sakura couldn't help but suffer confusion as she headed to her house after meeting with Tsunade that afternoon. Mostly because she could find anything in the statement that made sense as to what Naruto's plans might have been.

Sakura was sure she had figured out the main ones, but there was something she was missing here for certain. Last time she heard anything, Naruto had been in wave country. That had made sense; Naruto had slowly been rebuilding Uzushiogakure, and slowly starting the process that would remove Wave Country from Fire Country control. But _Lightning Country?_

What was her to gain there? True, there were two Jinchuriki there, but the Akatsuki wasn't really that big of a threat to Naruto at the moment. If there was anything she had to tell them, Sakura doubted she would stop her own plans to go visit them. At most she would send a summon...

Why was she in Lightning Country? Recalling everything she knew to be relevant about the place at the moment, all she could think of was that Itachi was in Lightning Country too. Perhaps he had something she wanted? It made a _little_ more sense, but not much.

Sakura knew about Itachi from her blond Akatsuki friend and her ravages of Tsunade's office– he and Naruto were on opposite pages. End of story. Whatever the reason was for Itachi being there at the same time as Naruto, it was probably luck, or something minor.

Itachi was one of the problem pieces that Naruto couldn't quite manoeuvre the way she wanted to (the other sadly being her own lover), if she could truly manoeuvre Itachi at all.

So there was something else she wasn't aware of. And it pissed her off to no end. It certainly didn't help that, from the sound of things, the Raikage didn't seem to mind her presence in Lightning Country. He may have informed Tsunade, but it seemed to be more from protocol that anything else.

"_The Raikage has given us permission to cross over the border up to fifty miles should we wish to pursue her. Of course, Naruto had never posed any problem for him, so we're lucky to get that given Naruto isn't a listed rouge of Konoha, or in the bingo book..." Tsunade grunted, sounding as perplexed as she was._

Sakura could moderately see her irritation on the bingo book subject herself. Half her problem was that she had to guess her friend's moves and plans from behind Konoha's walls because Konoha had no valid reason to cross borders in search of her.

A person was only listed in the bingo book after they had committed crimes in a foreign country, and Naruto had been careful to be on her very best behaviour outside of Fire Country. While this made thing easier for Naruto, it made thing harder for her.

The fact that Naruto had never even made it to be sworn in as a Konoha Genin in the first place was a huge help there too.

"_How do you know where she'll be? Has a tracking team been sent?" she asked casually._

"_No, I'll be sending you Sai, Sora, Shikamaru and Neji along with Kiba, Ino, and Shino to find her, but we have received a tip off. She'll be at the border in a few weeks time" Tsunade replied._

Sakura frowned top herself as she headed through the door of her apartment. Something about this tip off was sounding alarm bells in her head. She needed to get a message to Naruto about this, fast, but she was under close watch now. She wasn't confident in getting one too her without discovery, even using her summons.

Sighing to herself, she closed the door to her home, and then glared at the crisp packets and biscuit packets that lay scattered across her floor. She wasn't a neat person per-se but... maybe the _owner_ of the mess was more the cause of her irritation about it.

Heading to her bedroom, she glared at the blonde who lay on her bed in his shirt and pants flicking through the contents of a book on medical techniques with a bemused expression.

"I told you to keep your mess to yourself!" Sakura snarled.

After his 'break in' the blonde, or Deidara as she had since learned his name to be, seemed to have taken up a permanent residence in the house she had once shared with her father. Sometimes it was a nice change having a room-mate, occasionally he was a dangerous annoyance, but mostly, he just pissed her off. Likely for the enjoyment of doing so.

"Sheesh, its a few boxes Pinky..."

Sakura deigned not to answer to the infuriating nickname he had given her. Instead, she pulled off her red halter-neck and strapless beige under shirt, pondering an idea in her head. The fact that she was being watched as she removed the outer layers of her clothing did not bother her.

After living with the Ex-Iwa ninja for a few weeks, she had become almost desensitised to it. He was always watching her, trying to get some information of his own from her body language as well as rooting through her cupboards drawers and wardrobe.

Being part of Akatsuki, he probably knew more about Lightning Country than she did. They had a variety of members, and even if none of them were from the said nation, the information would no doubt have been found given that Kumogakure had two of the Jinchuriki.

After pulling of her beige shorts and green skin shorts, she pulled of her boots and arm-guarding gloves as she turned to face him with the obvious look of query on her face.

"What?" he asked.

"How much do you know about Kumogakure?" she asked bluntly – it seemed to be the best way to get information from him.

"In what specific?" he asked, pushing himself up by leaning on his arms from wrist to elbow.

Sakura thought about it – whatever odd relationship they had, he was still part of Akatsuki, so she did have to mind her wording... but her problem was that she didn't know what question to ask this time. Then again, Deidara wasn't stupid.

He knew she was loyal to Naruto, so what would it matter as long as she wasn't too obvious in her reactions?

"Naruto is there, but I don't know why she would be. I don't like not knowing things like that" she shrugged, flopping down on her bed next to him - she was getting tired with the headaches she'd been getting lately.

The compound she had found was so complex that it was near impossible to recreate without a sample to project her bloodline from. Besides, after some careful research, it was the wrong one. Matching its components against her own blood revealed it to be the key that closed the lock on it, but not the one to open it.

She was trying to reverse engineer it, but with only tiny samples and her own blood to work with, it was a difficult job, and she had no clue where Tsunade was keeping the other half of the key. If she even had it at all – Sakura wouldn't be surprised if Danzou had taken it for himself.

"Lightning Country? That seems a little sudden but... it might be for the training falls they have there" Deidara replied; the honest reply told her that Naruto's location was not something that concerned him, bolstering the building notion that he was not looking for information on her specifically.

"Training falls?" she asked.

"Yeah. It's an underground waterfall that the Jinchuriki in Lightning Country have used to get better connected with their partners for years. Then again, your little friend gets along with the Kyuubi just fine from what I hear, so I wouldn't make any bets on it if I were you" he explained putting the book down, casting his eyes over her.

The obvious look wasn't one she was used to, but she had seen it a few times on his face. It was a very carnal expression, so it was difficult to miss. And it brought to mind that kiss he had given her the first time she met him; it had been the first time she'd had a real fight since Naruto and Sasuke left Konoha.

It occurred to her that she had never gotten a good reason as to why he did that, and since he was in such a sharing mood…

"Why did you kiss me?" she asked; he raised an eyebrow at the blunt question, seeming a little amused.

"No particular reason really" he replied.

Sakura frowned, dissatisfied with his answer. It irritated her to realise she wanted a better one than his _'for-the-hell-of-it'_ attitude gave her, but she wouldn't ignore her own opinion. She'd just make him give her a better answer.

With a quick movement, she straddled his waist, directing some chakra into her leg muscles to keep him secure. With no hesitation, she pressed her lips to his; the response was instantaneous. His tongue swept over her lips, and his hands pulled her lips to his as the grasped the short strands of pink hair on her head.

The kiss was hard, unrefined, and the second she groaned her pleasure into it, his tongue invaded her mouth. It carved a trail of breathlessness against her own, and as his hands left her hair to slide down her back, she clutched at his own blonde locks to keep the intensity.

Slowly tracing her chakra into the contact to incite the start of lust – as had been taught by the Kunoichi instructor in the academy, long before they boys even got close to any sex education – Sakura allowed his hands to fumble with the leather and mesh under shirt.

Then when she began to feel another physical response from the blonde, she pushed of him, and nonchalantly headed for her shower.

"Hey, don't you walk off on me Pinky! What the hell was that for?" he demanded obstinately, following her as she headed for the bathroom.

Reaching the door, Sakura whirled around and smirked at him; then she clearly spoke three words, and quickly locked the door in his face.

"No particular reason."

* * *

_**Apologies if the DeiSaku seems a little rushed, but it needs to be at this point – I've done a very bad thing plot-wise and neglected it -_-; Now it needs some faster development or there will be no TENSION! Don't do that fellow writers. **_

_**It's bad! It's like not saving a drawing before exiting Sai or Photoshop or whatever -YOU DONT DO IT! I feel like I've committed blasphemy, but in my defence, my Drama course is pretty heavy loaded with work. And I applied for the next level up (HND) *Sigh* Why do I bring the torture on of my own accord?**_

_**In any case, Deidara's true motives will be coming out soon, and despite her self assurances Naruto is about to get the whack on the head she sorely needs. Sakura will also start getting a better role and a chance to show just how deceptive she can be. **_

_**And just to be clear, this is still Karin's flashback as she explains things to Sasuke.**_

_**Going now. I've got, like, six monologues to memorise in a week *shoots-self-dead* Yeah, I know, I procrastinate alright?**_

**_Title is _'Where Do We Draw The Line'_ by Poets of The Fall._**

**_Hope you liked the chapter :)  
Nat.  
_****_xxx _**


	33. Part II: Girl in The Mirror

**BLURRED SOUND**

* * *

Sasuke Uchiha met Naruto Uzumaki when he was seven years old; a twist in the time line, and he meets her again five years later during the Chunin Exams – as an Otogakure Genin. SasuFemNaru. AU/AT. Dark Naruto.

* * *

**PART II**

* * *

**CHAPTER THIRTY–THREE  
- - GIRL IN THE MIRROR - -**

* * *

_'Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as  
your own unguarded thoughts' ~_ _Sutta Nipata._

* * *

Naruto frowned at her counterpart – or Naruko as she had started referring to herself as to avoid confusion - in fury.

What was it going to take to crack this idiotic self? Why wouldn't she just disappear? This was the fifth time she had come back under these falls, and it was exactly the same as before. They would fight for hours. Naruko would scream boring things about how horrible she was being to her village, and that it was horrible that she could act as she did, that revenge was a double edged sword...

Naruto knew all of this already, and responded as such with her usual cool-headed detachment. Why couldn't she just get rid of her? There was no connection between them at all, nothing in her personality she needed or could use, so what was keeping here here? It was a question that, the more she pondered it, the less she understood the answer to it.

It was a good think she was able to absorb Killer Bee and Yugito's chakra better than Karin's. She'd have been in trouble for real otherwise. She'd been here far too long already, but she wouldn't leave until she had completed this training.

Kyuubi was certainly no help, and her certainly wasn't fond of Naruko either. In fact, he was doing everything he could to help her get rid of it... that set of quite a few alarm bells. Kyuubi didn't help unless he had personal benefit, and she used his chakra plenty enough already... it was certainly worth thinking about. There was obviously something the fox didn't want her to know.

Still, Naruko was giving her a headache!

"Will you stop yelling? Nothing you say about Konoha is going to tug my heartstrings. I'm not you – I don't know what you are, but it certainly won't be me..." she snapped, loosing her cool for a moment and openly snarling at her mirror image.

Naruko frowned, but had a smirk on her face that made Naruto wondered if she was rubbing off on this clown of a girl; she hadn't seen her glare as well as that so far. Maybe she should try subterfuge instead?

"No – I'm not you exactly, but I am You. We're two sides of the same seal, completely different, but we are the same! I'm as determined as you are, I can fight as well as you, my family means as much to me as it does to you, all different certainly, but still same! You just won't admit it..." she stated pointedly, her voice not the desperate tone, but a more solidified, concrete one of certainty.

"Well, I'll concede to that at least – but I still don't have need of a self like you! You're nothing but a hindrance to me! Rest assured, I will find a way to get rid of you!" Naruto snarled.

"No you won't. You _can't_ kill me; deep down, you'll never be able to kill me off completely! I understand why you hate me, I'm angry about our parents, our clan too, but you're hampering yourself and you don't even realise it! You refuse to accept things you think will get in your way, even if you just making things worse for yourself by doing that!" Naruko snapped.

Naruto stared at her, not quite understanding herself; just what was Naruko trying to _imply?_ She wasn't doing anything that didn't work to her benefit! _Everything_ she did was to her own planning, her benefit. The only thing she could say that had disrupted her plans was her bloodline.

Sasuke didn't count... He... Gods, why didn't he just do as he was _supposed_ to? Why, why, _why?_ Why was she so _bothered_ by his absence? Why was it making her so mad? Why did he leave her behind? She may have left, but he left her behind! He was supposed to come with her! He was supposed to understand...

Naruto's eyes froze unblinking as she realised her train of thought, realised where it had stemmed from. Froze when she realised something else; Naruko was absolutely right.

Killing Naruto, erasing that sad, pathetic, Konoha-loving _sycophant_ would rid herself of whatever ghastly hold it was that on close examination, had made her think of Sasuke so possessively that one moment years ago, as they had made their way battle-worn from Konoha to Oto

Killing Naruko, Naruto was sure would mean distancing Sasuke from her completely, and that thought paralysed her. She could could accept that reluctance – she ad already admitted his temporary absence bothered her, of course she would be more displeased with a permanent one... But accept having this dunderhead of a counterpart somewhere in her soul?

She couldn't do it, but she was loathe to kill her, just as Naruko had said.

For a rare moment, Naruto had no idea what to do.

* * *

Naruko – as her counterpart called her when she got sick of a simple snarky _'you'_ – watched Naruto's conflicted expression with frustration, empathy, and grief.

She knew, as the suppressed emotion that she was, that nothing she said would get through to Naruto yet. She could hint, and throw her self around as blatantly as possible, but it wasn't going to be a quick thing for her companion to realise her biggest mistakes. She had to learn by herself, or there would be no point to it.

Naruto only trusted her own judgement, and her own judgement was biased, warped – uncomprehending. By common standards, she'd gone mad. Naruto knew it too – how would Naruko know if Naruto didn't? - but that just made it worse.

Her brain was slowly being starved of the chakra it needed to focus properly too. That was half the reason she was going so mad. Of course, she would never be truly sane – she did enjoy killing people, and cannibalism didn't faze her in the slightest – but at the moment Naruto wasn't even capable of rational madness.

Sasuke's chakra had never been enough in the first place, even when they gained a little more control over the demands of the longevity bloodline. Naruto had been responsible for her own mess of course, but that had been a slow contributing factor to her problems too.

"Look, trying to get rid off me isn't going to help you, you won't get anywhere if you do that! Until you realise what it is you need to do with me, you aren't anywhere near ready to control Kurama's real power. Feel free to come back when you figure it out, but you're not going to accomplish anything if you can't understand yourself!" she stated, pointing her finger dramatically.

Naruto narrowed her eyes – confused, dismayed, angered, betrayed eyes – on her.  
"what does that mean? Who's Kurama?" she asked suspiciously.

"To complete this training, you have to understand yourself. Since I'm part of you – whether you'll admit it or not – when you understand yourself, you'll understand me; you can't come back till then because if you do, you'll just turn into Kurama himself if you try to control his chakra" she replied with a calmer, more patient voice.

Naruto was still confused.

"Kurama's chakra? Don't you mean the Kyuubi's? You give him a nickname or something?" she asked, almost amused.

"Of course not – that's his name" Naruko replied.

The shock that reverberated through the face of her mirror made Naruko's chest ache, but the only person who would get through to herself _was_ herself, and she would fulfil that role. Sasuke would have to do his share eventually too, be he was halfway responsible for her – _their_ – instability.

Not by action as Naruto liked to profess over and over, but simple lack of communication; he knew to what extent Naruto would communicate with people voluntarily, how guarded she was. He obviously hadn't been ready for Naruto's expectations of him, and Naruko wouldn't have him blundering back in till he'd learned himself.

Naruto would never adjust enough to accept, actually _trust him_ if he did that, and Naruto wouldn't even trust her own self. She had to trust someone though, and Sasuke stood as better chance of managing it. Naruko would make sure to help him achieve that goal.

Even if it meant tearing Naruto's mind apart and putting it back together with the missing pieces filled in.

* * *

It was late in the evening when Naruto reached the meeting spot where Itachi was waiting for her with Karin.

She was ignoring what Naruko has said to her in Kumo – she didn't need that training yet. Whet did she need to understand about herself? She knew who she was, what she wanted, there was nothing to understand. More importantly, she needed to coerce Itachi into giving her some chakra for the journey to Nami.

She was loathe to go to him for help, but it would help, and at the least she could count on him to serve in his brother's best interests. That was, provided Sasuke still held her in his best interests. She might have to do some bluffing, and she wasn't sure if she could bluff with Itachi.

He had a horrible habit of being able to see right through her; all she could do was hope he was suckered by some _'Wonder how Sasuke'd take it if you killed me'_ talk if it was needed. With any luck he wouldn't consider taking the chance. Technically, Karin was right about him stabbing her in the back, but Itachi wouldn't do that until he was certain he would get away with it.

He was waiting in one of the trees, and flickered down as soon as she arrived, winded, with Karin beside her; the knowing look on his face was unpleasantly unsurprising. Of course, as her former guard after Konoha had wiped her memory, Itachi knew everything about her genetic traits.

She wondered if he had half been expecting her to come to him for help. Certainly, he would have known that Sasuke's chakra reserves weren't enough for her to live off properly. Even if the little whatsit had stayed, Naruto had a feeling she would have had to seek out Itachi anyway. It was better this way really – Sasuke would _not_ have been amused if he had stayed, and she had said she needed some of his brother's chakra.

"You're earlier than I was expecting; problems in Kumogakure Naruto?" he asked.

Naruto glared at him; he couldn't know what had happened, but she couldn't deny that her appearance and demeanour were the ones of a person whose plans had flowed seamlessly.

"Nothing unmanageable; did you want to start our talk now, or would you prefer later?" she asked, trying not to sneer at him too much – she needed his help much as she was loath to admit it.

"Later; I haven't eaten yet, and I'm sure you'd rather have some food after your journey" he replied, waving his hand towards a campfire with a spit.

"I can cook for myself thanks" Naruto hissed.

Itachi gave an almost snarling smirk, and Naruto gave him a simpering grin; as soon as she was done with him, she'd stick a kunai in his gut like she should have years ago.

* * *

The meal was tense in silence, if not blatantly hostile; Itachi might have laughed had he been viewing the matter from Karin's point of view.

After he and Ino had eaten, Naruto had disappeared for a few hours, when he inquired where she was going, Karin turned pale; _'She's going hunting – it's a Kyuubi thing I think, but I'm probably wrong'_, she'd said.

The screams of a nearby traveller on the road explained her disgust - apparently Naruto was depraved enough to find her food sources from things other than the local flora and fauna.

After that, she returned, stinking and covered in the blood of whichever poor soul had been deemed her victim; the satisfaction was much reminiscent of someone who had relieved their stress. Itachi had tried to fathom many times in the past why his brother would consort with the girl as he had, but he had no answer for it other than his brothers own mental scarring.

Karin had quickly removed the blood into a corked phial that was tied to the belt of her medical pack with a set of angular hand signs, and then the redhead headed for her sleeping roll (which was notably far away).

And so, Itachi was left to deal with the insane Kyuubi girl to his own content. She said nothing, laying flat on the grass and string up at the cloudy sky; she didn't use a sleeping roll, and was very quiet for a long time. She was clearly paranoid at the very least; then again, she was either a wanted criminal or a Jinchuriki host. A lot of people were looking for her – it was probably more sensible to leave a sleeping roll behind.

"You owe me a favour Itachi" she said finally, a slate-like, hardened gaze remaining on the dark clouds that rolled above them.

"in what way do I owe you a favour?" Itachi sneered.

"Sasuke would rather kill you than tag along with me; I'd say you owe me for keeping my mouth shut about your particular loyalties" she snipped.

Itachi nearly snorted again; maybe Sasuke did still want to kill him, but he hardly suspected it was due from lack of effort to persuade him otherwise on her part. Still, Sasuke _was_ still oblivious to his real motives. That was an advantage he could not afford to loose. Not if he was going to removed this depraved demon's claws from him permanently.

He wouldn't have to do a lot to manage it either. He could probably kill her right now. She was unstable, out of chakra by disastrous proportions, and had only one, perhaps two real allies at the moment. Even Sasuke had started seeing her mind getting warped with the need to control. It would be so easy...

he would play her little game however. For one, he couldn't not truly be certain of Sasuke's reaction to her death, and for another... he was loyal to his village. Konoha should be the ones to decide her punishment and fate. Itachi would intervene with Sasuke's attempt to intervene when the time came, and that would be the last of the dreadful girl.

He supposed there was some humanity in her though; she had sounded insulted by her own admittance of Sasuke's _'betrayal'._ Maybe she had enough human mind left to show remorse after all. She was doing a good job of convincing herself otherwise though. She was truly gifted in the art of lies. Especially ones to herself.

"I don't generally offer my assistance to liars."

"Liar? You're the real liar here, not me! At least I have some honesty, which is something you certainly don't. My affiliations have _always_ been perfectly clear. Unlike you!" Naruto snapped.

He couldn't argue with that. Naruto was honest about her own murderous desires towards Konoha. She was just smart enough to know how to avoid the headsman's block or the noose waiting for her in Konoha. She'd never made much of a secret about it though, not even during the Chunin Exams.

"Is this how you ask people for their aid in Uzushiogakure? How rude" he murmured; her eyes were glowing red in the night air as she glared at him for that comment.

"You owe me!" She hissed persistently.  
"Very well; what do you want in compensation?" he sighed; forcing her away was only derailing his own plans.

Better pandering to her whims now than ignoring her and risking the information he had already given Danzou and Tsunade-sama of her location changing too quickly.

"I want your chakra" she replied bluntly.  
"Very well" Itachi replied, just as bluntly.

As soon as the word left his mouth, she had pounced over him, and almost torn his throat out with desperation to steal the chakra that flowed through it.

* * *

_**Sorry for the long wait on an Update for this story; there will be some real action next chapter to make up for it. I'm agonizing over it actually - I've probably said this before but I LOATHE fight scenes. Makes writing fanfiction about Ninjas (for whom fighting brings home the bacon) stupendously difficult, but I'm on a high at the moment.**_

_**A short **_**'Play'**_** I wrote for a unit on my college course was picked out by my lecturer for a rehearsed reading at the local city library XD XD XD XD XD It's not acting really, but hearing stuff I wrote being read out as if it was? Holy Crap was that a Buzz.**_

_**Sasuke will make an appearance next chapter, as things are brought back to real time, and both he and Naruto will grow up a little as things start getting on. They'll still be certifiably insane, but a more mature form of insanity. **_

_**Chapter title is 'Girl in The Mirror' by Britney Spears.**_  
_**Hope you liked :)**_  
_**Nat.**_  
_**x**_


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